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

Watkis, 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 Watkis surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Watkis in America

Watkis is the 70208th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Watkis surname appeared 279 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 Watkis.

We can also compare 2010 data for Watkis 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 Watkis

The surname Watkis is believed to have originated in England, likely during the medieval period. It is thought to be a variant spelling of the name Watkins, which is derived from the personal name Wat, a diminutive form of the name Walter. The name Walter itself is of Germanic origin, derived from the elements "wald" meaning "ruler" and "hari" meaning "army."

The earliest known recorded instances of the name Watkis can be traced back to the late 16th century and early 17th century in various parish records and legal documents. For example, a William Watkis was recorded in the parish records of St. Dunstan's, Stepney, in London in 1611.

While the name Watkis does not appear in the Domesday Book, which was a comprehensive record of landholdings in England compiled in 1086, there are numerous references to individuals with the similar surname Watkins in historical documents from various parts of England.

One notable early bearer of the Watkis name was John Watkis, a Welsh clergyman and academic who lived from 1642 to 1737. He served as the Warden of All Souls College, Oxford, and was a respected scholar and theologian.

In the 18th century, Thomas Watkis (1715-1786) was a prominent Welsh landowner and Member of Parliament for Cardigan Boroughs. He was a influential figure in local politics and played a significant role in the development of the town of Carmarthen.

Another individual of note was Sir Edward Watkis (1798-1873), a British lawyer and judge who served as the Lord Chief Baron of the Exchequer from 1857 to 1873. He was widely respected for his legal expertise and judicial acumen.

In the 19th century, Robert Watkis Lloyd (1834-1904) was a Welsh industrialist and businessman who made significant contributions to the coal mining industry in South Wales. He was also a prominent philanthropist and supported various educational and charitable causes.

Finally, Sir Rhys Watkis Williams (1865-1955) was a Welsh lawyer and politician who served as the Member of Parliament for Banbury from 1910 to 1918. He was also a noted advocate for Welsh language and culture.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Watkis

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

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

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

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