Find out how popular the last name Waterman is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Waterman.

Waterman, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Waterman surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Waterman in America

Waterman is the 2947th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Waterman surname appeared 12,177 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 4 people would have the surname Waterman.

We can also compare 2010 data for Waterman to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Waterman

The surname WATERMAN is of English origin and dates back to the medieval period. It is an occupational surname derived from the Old English words "wæter" meaning water and "mann" meaning man, referring to someone who worked on or around water, such as a ferryman, boatman, or bargeman.

The name was particularly common in areas near rivers, lakes, or coastal regions where water transportation and related occupations were prevalent. Early records from the 13th and 14th centuries show variations in spelling, including Waterman, Watirman, and Watyrman.

One of the earliest known references to the name WATERMAN can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire from 1273, which mentions a Thomas Waterman. The Subsidy Rolls of Sussex from 1296 also record a John le Waterman.

In the 14th century, the surname WATERMAN appeared in the Chancery Proceedings from London, suggesting its presence in the capital city. The Lay Subsidy Rolls of Wiltshire from 1332 list a Willelmus Waterman.

Notable individuals with the surname WATERMAN throughout history include:

1. Robert Waterman (c. 1492-1555), an English Protestant martyr who was burned at the stake during the Marian Persecutions.
2. Thomas Waterman (c. 1545-1622), an English clergyman and one of the earliest settlers of Rhode Island, arriving in 1638.
3. Thomas Waterman (1720-1796), an American surveyor and soldier from Connecticut who served in the American Revolutionary War.
4. Arrah Wanna Waterman (1778-1861), a Native American woman from the Mohegan tribe, known for her basket weaving and storytelling.
5. Robert Whitney Waterman (1826-1891), an American businessman and military officer who served as a general in the Union Army during the American Civil War.

These are just a few examples of historical figures who bore the surname WATERMAN, reflecting its longstanding presence in various parts of England and later, the American colonies.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Waterman

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Waterman.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Waterman was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Waterman has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Waterman was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Waterman, please contact us.

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!