2000
#8,508
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,566
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.32
Rare Last name
Waterhouse
An English toponymic surname referring to someone who lived near a building used for storing water.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,944 Americans carry the last name Waterhouse. That puts it at #9,126 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.15 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 86,905 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Waterhouse surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Waterhouse with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.9K
1 in 86,905
Census rank
#9,126
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,439 bearers of the surname Waterhouse in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.15 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9126th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Waterhouse, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.1%) and Black (3.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Waterhouse
The surname Waterhouse is of English origin, derived from a topographical name for someone who lived near a body of water, such as a river, lake, or stream. The name can be traced back to the 12th century and is believed to have originated from the Old English words "wæter" meaning water, and "hus" meaning house or dwelling.
The earliest recorded instance of the name Waterhouse can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire in 1195, where it is listed as "Waterhus." This spelling variation indicates that the name was initially used to describe a house or dwelling near a body of water.
During the Middle Ages, the name Waterhouse appeared in various historical records and manuscripts, including the Hundred Rolls of 1273, which documented landowners and their holdings. The name was also mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086, a comprehensive survey of landholdings in England commissioned by William the Conqueror.
One notable figure bearing the surname Waterhouse was Sir Edward Waterhouse (1619-1670), an English politician and diplomat who served as Secretary of State under Oliver Cromwell during the Commonwealth period. Another prominent individual was Nicholas Waterhouse (1510-1587), an English Catholic priest and martyr who was executed during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I for his religious beliefs.
In the literary world, the name Waterhouse is associated with Graham Waterhouse (1923-2010), a British author and playwright known for his works exploring social issues and working-class life in England. Additionally, Alfred Waterhouse (1830-1905) was a renowned English architect responsible for designing several iconic buildings, including the Natural History Museum in London.
The name Waterhouse has also been linked to various place names and locations throughout England, such as Waterhouse Lane in Staffordshire, Waterhouses in Durham, and Waterhouse Farm in Oxfordshire. These place names further reinforce the topographical origins of the surname.
Other notable individuals with the surname Waterhouse include John Waterhouse (1809-1876), a British artist known for his Pre-Raphaelite paintings; Benjamin Waterhouse (1754-1846), an American physician who introduced smallpox vaccination to the United States; and Ellis Waterhouse (1905-1985), a British art historian and author who specialized in British painting.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Waterhouse
Among Census respondents with the surname Waterhouse, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.1%) and Black (3.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Waterhouse bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Waterhouse surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.3% · 3,003
- Hispanic or Latino4.1% · 142
- Black or African American3.7% · 126
- Two or more races3.1% · 107
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.1% · 37
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 24
Timeline
Historical Census data for Waterhouse
Waterhouse appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#9,129
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,577
+11 bearers (+0.3%)
Per 100,000 1.21
Rank movement Down 621 places
2020
#9,126
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,439
-138 bearers (-3.9%)
Per 100,000 1.15
Rank movement Up 3 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,508 | 3,566 | 1.32 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,129 | 3,577 | 1.21 | +11 bearers (+0.3%) | Down 621 places |
| 2020 | #9,126 | 3,439 | 1.15 | -138 bearers (-3.9%) | Up 3 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Waterhouse surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #9,129 | #9,126 | 0.0% |
| Count | 3,577 | 3,439 | -3.9% |
| Per 100K | 1.21 | 1.15 | -4.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Waterhouse bearers went from 3,577 to 3,439 (-3.9% change). The surname moved up 3 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,129 to #9,126.
FAQ
Waterhouse surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Waterhouse?
Name Census estimates that about 3,944 living Americans carry the surname Waterhouse. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 86,905 residents.
How common is Waterhouse?
Waterhouse ranks #9,126 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.15 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,439 people with the surname Waterhouse. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,944), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.15 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.15 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Waterhouse.
Has Waterhouse become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Waterhouse went from 3,577 recorded bearers to 3,439. That is a decrease of 138 (-3.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #9,129 to #9,126.
What does the Census say about the background of Waterhouse?
Among Census respondents with the surname Waterhouse, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.1%) and Black (3.7%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Waterhouse in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.3% (3,003 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Waterhouse appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.3%), Hispanic (4.1%), Black (3.7%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Waterhouse (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Waterhouse mean?
An English toponymic surname referring to someone who lived near a building used for storing water. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Waterhouse (1.15 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the last name Waterhouse?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the surname Waterhouse on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.