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

Waterton, 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 Waterton surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Waterton in America

Waterton is the 116829th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Waterton surname appeared 149 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Waterton.

We can also compare 2010 data for Waterton 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 Waterton

The surname Waterton is of English origin and can be traced back to the 11th century. It is a locational name derived from a place called Waterton, which means "the farm or village by the water." The name is found in various areas across England, including Yorkshire, Lancashire, and Lincolnshire.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Waterton can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Watretone." This reference suggests that the name was well-established in England by the time of the Norman Conquest.

During the Middle Ages, the Waterton family held lands and properties in various parts of Yorkshire and Lancashire. One notable figure from this period was Sir Robert Waterton, who lived in the late 13th century and served as a Knight of the Shire for Yorkshire.

In the 16th century, Charles Waterton (1482-1551) was a prominent English clergyman and academic. He served as the Master of Magdalene College, Cambridge, and was also the Dean of York.

Another notable individual with the surname Waterton was Charles Waterton (1782-1865), a celebrated English naturalist and explorer. He is best known for his travels in South America and his efforts to preserve the natural habitat of the Walton Hall estate in Yorkshire.

Edmund Waterton (1808-1887) was a British Catholic priest and author. He wrote several books on religious topics and served as the chaplain to the Duke of Norfolk.

Charles Waterton (1904-1969) was a British actor and film director. He appeared in several notable films, including "The Winslow Boy" and "The Horse's Mouth."

The Waterton surname has also been associated with various place names in England, such as Waterton in Yorkshire, Waterton in Lincolnshire, and Waterton Park in West Yorkshire. These places likely derived their names from the same linguistic roots as the surname.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Waterton

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

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 Waterton 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 Waterton 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 Waterton was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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