2000
#222
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 122,447
First available Census row
Per 100,000 45.39
Common Last name
Watkins
Derived from the personal name Wat or Walter, meaning "ruler of the army" or "mighty warrior."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 140,262 Americans carry the last name Watkins. That puts it at #251 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 40.92 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,444 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Watkins 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 Watkins with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
140K
1 in 2,444
Census rank
#251
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
40.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
122K
common in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 122,315 bearers of the surname Watkins in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 40.92 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 251st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Watkins, the largest self-reported group is White at 59.6%. The next largest groups are Black (31.2%) and Two or More Races (4.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Watkins
The surname WATKINS is of Anglo-Saxon origin, deriving from the Old English words "waet", meaning "wet" or "marsh", and "hync", referring to a corner or remote place. It originated in England, particularly in the counties of Somerset, Gloucestershire, and Herefordshire, during the medieval period.
The name WATKINS is believed to have initially referred to individuals residing near a wet or marshy area, perhaps in a secluded or remote location. The earliest recorded instances of the name date back to the 13th century, with entries in the Hundredorum Rolls of Oxfordshire and Gloucestershire mentioning individuals with the surname spelled as "Watekyn" and "Watkyn".
In the renowned Domesday Book of 1086, a survey of landholdings commissioned by William the Conqueror, several place names containing variations of the word "wet" or "waet" are documented, such as "Watecumbe" in Somerset and "Wateley" in Shropshire, indicating the possible origins of the WATKINS surname.
One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Sir John Watkins (c. 1350-1422), a Welsh landowner and Member of Parliament for Breconshire. Another notable figure was Thomas Watkins (c. 1558-1634), a Welsh clergyman and author who served as the Bishop of St. David's.
In the 16th century, the name WATKINS gained prominence in Gloucestershire, with the Watkins family of Woodchester Park being a prominent landowning family in the area. Sir Robert Watkins (1577-1631), a member of this family, served as a Gentleman of the Privy Chamber to King James I.
During the English Civil War, Colonel John Watkins (1602-1649) was a notable Royalist commander who fought for King Charles I. He was captured and executed by Parliamentarian forces after the Battle of Colchester in 1648.
In the realm of literature, David Watkins (1925-2008) was a Welsh author and playwright, best known for his novel "The Hurst Dancer" and his plays exploring Welsh culture and identity.
These are just a few examples of individuals bearing the surname WATKINS throughout history, demonstrating its enduring presence and significance across various spheres, from politics and religion to literature and military service.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Watkins
Among Census respondents with the surname Watkins, the largest self-reported group is White at 59.6%. The next largest groups are Black (31.2%) and Two or More Races (4.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Watkins 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 Watkins surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White59.6% · 72,842
- Black or African American31.2% · 38,190
- Two or more races4.9% · 6,006
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 3,915
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 706
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 656
Timeline
Historical Census data for Watkins
Watkins 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
#240
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 127,083
+4,636 bearers (+3.8%)
Per 100,000 43.08
Rank movement Down 18 places
2020
#251
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 122,315
-4,768 bearers (-3.8%)
Per 100,000 40.92
Rank movement Down 11 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #222 | 122,447 | 45.39 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #240 | 127,083 | 43.08 | +4,636 bearers (+3.8%) | Down 18 places |
| 2020 | #251 | 122,315 | 40.92 | -4,768 bearers (-3.8%) | Down 11 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 Watkins 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 | #240 | #251 | -4.6% |
| Count | 127,083 | 122,315 | -3.8% |
| Per 100K | 43.08 | 40.92 | -5.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Watkins bearers went from 127,083 to 122,315 (-3.8% change). The surname moved down 11 positions in the national ranking, going from #240 to #251.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Watkins
FAQ
Watkins surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Watkins?
Name Census estimates that about 140,262 living Americans carry the surname Watkins. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,444 residents.
How common is Watkins?
Watkins ranks #251 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Common." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 40.92 per 100,000 residents, which is about 41 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 122,315 people with the surname Watkins. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (140,262), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 40.92 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 40.92 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 41 of them to have the surname Watkins.
Has Watkins become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Watkins went from 127,083 recorded bearers to 122,315. That is a decrease of 4,768 (-3.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #240 to #251.
What does the Census say about the background of Watkins?
Among Census respondents with the surname Watkins, the largest self-reported group is White at 59.6%. The next largest groups are Black (31.2%) and Two or More Races (4.9%). 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 Watkins in the 2020 Census, accounting for 59.6% (72,842 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Watkins appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (59.6%), Black (31.2%), Two or More Races (4.9%). 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 Watkins (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 Watkins mean?
Derived from the personal name Wat or Walter, meaning "ruler of the army" or "mighty warrior." 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 Watkins (40.92 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 common is the surname Watkins?
If you just want to know how many people are called Watkins, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.