2000
#131,366
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Watermann
A surname referring to someone who lived near a body of water or worked as a ferryman.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 125 Americans carry the last name Watermann. That puts it at #150,205 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,742,035 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Watermann 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.
Bearers in the US
125
1 in 2,742,035
Census rank
#150,205
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
109
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 109 bearers of the surname Watermann in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150205th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Watermann, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.4%. The next largest groups are Black (13.8%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Watermann
The surname Watermann originated in Germany, with its earliest known records dating back to the 14th century. The name is derived from the German word "Wasser," meaning water, and "Mann," meaning man, combined to form "Watermann," which translates to "water man" or "waterman." This suggests that the name was likely initially associated with individuals who lived near bodies of water or worked in professions related to water, such as fishermen, boatmen, or those involved in water-based trades.
Historical records indicate that the name Watermann was particularly prevalent in northern Germany, particularly in regions like Mecklenburg, Pomerania, and Brandenburg. The earliest documented mention of the name is found in the town records of Rostock, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, in the year 1367, where a certain Hinrich Watermann is mentioned as a resident.
In the 15th century, the Watermann name appears in various records, including the tax rolls of the town of Greifswald, Pomerania, in 1449, where a Hans Watermann is listed as a taxpayer. Additionally, the name is found in the chronicles of the city of Lübeck, a prominent Hanseatic city, where a Claus Watermann is recorded as a merchant in the year 1487.
One notable figure with the surname Watermann was Johann Watermann, a German cartographer and engraver who lived from 1630 to 1701. He was renowned for his intricate and detailed maps of various regions in Germany and neighboring countries. Another significant individual was Gerhard Watermann (1773-1834), a German composer and organist who made significant contributions to the development of church music in the early 19th century.
In the 17th and 18th centuries, the name Watermann began to spread beyond Germany as individuals migrated to other parts of Europe and eventually to the Americas. For instance, Adriaen Watermann, a Dutch merchant, was recorded as living in New Amsterdam (present-day New York City) in the mid-17th century.
Other notable individuals with the surname Watermann include Christian Watermann (1808-1876), a German-American landscape painter renowned for his depictions of the American wilderness, and Wilhelm Watermann (1858-1940), a German businessman and entrepreneur who founded the Watermann pen company, known for its high-quality fountain pens.
Throughout its history, the surname Watermann has undergone various spellings, such as Wattermann, Wathermann, and Waterman, reflecting regional and linguistic variations. However, the core meaning and origins of the name remain rooted in the German language and the association with water-related professions or locations.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Watermann
Among Census respondents with the surname Watermann, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.4%. The next largest groups are Black (13.8%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Watermann 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 Watermann surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White84.4% · 92
- Black or African American13.8% · 15
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.8% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Watermann
Watermann 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
#154,907
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
-14 bearers (-11.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 23,541 places
2020
#150,205
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
+4 bearers (+3.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 4,702 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #131,366 | 119 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #154,907 | 105 | 0.04 | -14 bearers (-11.8%) | Down 23,541 places |
| 2020 | #150,205 | 109 | 0.04 | +4 bearers (+3.8%) | Up 4,702 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 Watermann 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 | #154,907 | #150,205 | 3.0% |
| Count | 105 | 109 | 3.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -8.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Watermann bearers went from 105 to 109 (+3.8% change). The surname moved up 4,702 positions in the national ranking, going from #154,907 to #150,205.
FAQ
Watermann surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Watermann?
Name Census estimates that about 125 living Americans carry the surname Watermann. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,742,035 residents.
How common is Watermann?
Watermann ranks #150,205 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 109 people with the surname Watermann. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (125), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Watermann.
Has Watermann become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Watermann went from 105 recorded bearers to 109. That is an increase of 4 (+3.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #154,907 to #150,205.
What does the Census say about the background of Watermann?
Among Census respondents with the surname Watermann, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.4%. The next largest groups are Black (13.8%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.8%). 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 Watermann in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.4% (92 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Watermann appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (84.4%), Black (13.8%), American Indian/Alaska Native (1.8%). 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 Watermann (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 Watermann mean?
A surname referring to someone who lived near a body of water or worked as a ferryman. 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 Watermann (0.04 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 are called Watermann?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people are called Watermann at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.