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

Watkin, 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 Watkin surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Watkin in America

Watkin is the 28587th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Watkin surname appeared 834 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 Watkin.

We can also compare 2010 data for Watkin 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 Watkin

The surname Watkin has its origins in Wales, deriving from the Welsh personal name "Watkin" or "Wat", a pet form of the name Walter. The name's earliest recorded use dates back to the 13th century.

Watkin is believed to have originated from the Germanic elements "wald" meaning "rule" and "heri" meaning "army". The name Walter, from which Watkin is derived, was quite popular among the Normans and was introduced to Britain during the Norman Conquest in the 11th century.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Watkin can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Watkin" in the county of Gloucestershire. This entry suggests that the name had already gained a foothold in England by the late 11th century.

In the 14th century, the surname Watkin appeared in various forms such as "Watkyns" and "Watkyn" in ancient records and manuscripts from Wales and the English border counties. This variation in spelling was common during that time period.

Notable individuals bearing the surname Watkin include Sir Thomas Watkin (1545-1599), a Welsh landowner and Member of Parliament during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. Another prominent figure was John Watkin (1622-1701), a Welsh clergyman and author who served as the Bishop of St. David's.

In the 18th century, Richard Watkin (1745-1808) was a Welsh Anglican priest and scholar who served as the Chancellor of St. Asaph's Cathedral. William Watkin (1801-1870) was a Welsh industrialist and coal magnate who played a significant role in the development of the South Wales coalfields.

One of the most well-known figures with the surname Watkin was Sir Edward Watkin (1819-1901), a British railway entrepreneur and Member of Parliament. He was instrumental in the construction of several major railway lines in the United Kingdom and was knighted for his services to the country.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Watkin

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

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

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

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