2000
#116,123
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 139
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Watter
An English surname derived from the Old French name "Watier," meaning watchman or guard.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 124 Americans carry the last name Watter. That puts it at #150,935 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,764,148 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Watter 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 Watter with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
124
1 in 2,764,148
Census rank
#150,935
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
108
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 108 bearers of the surname Watter in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150935th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Watter, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.6%. The next largest groups are Black (11.1%) and Two or More Races (5.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Watter
The surname Watter is believed to have originated in the Scottish Highlands, where it was first recorded in the 13th century. It is derived from the Gaelic word "uachdar," which means "upper" or "higher," suggesting that the earliest bearers of this name lived in an elevated or highland area.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Watter surname can be found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, where it appears as "Walter." This was a historical document in which Scottish nobles and landowners were forced to swear allegiance to King Edward I of England after his invasion of Scotland.
In the 16th century, the Watter surname appeared in various spellings, including "Wattir," "Wattyr," and "Wattar," reflecting the regional dialects and spelling variations common during that period. These variations likely arose from the transition from Gaelic to English spellings.
Several notable individuals bearing the Watter surname have been recorded throughout history. One such person was John Watter, a Scottish landowner and politician who lived in the late 17th century (1642-1718). He served as a member of the Scottish Parliament and was known for his advocacy of the Union of Scotland and England.
Another prominent figure was Robert Watter (1772-1846), a Scottish architect and civil engineer. He was responsible for designing and constructing several notable buildings in Edinburgh, including the Melville Monument and the Regent Bridge.
In the 18th century, the Watter surname was also found in the records of the Scottish Highlands, particularly in the regions of Argyll and Inverness-shire. One notable individual from this area was Duncan Watter (1731-1805), a Scottish Highland chief and landowner.
The Watter surname has also been associated with several place names in Scotland, such as Watters Farm and Watters Well, both located in Aberdeenshire. These place names likely originated from early settlers or landowners bearing the Watter surname.
Another historical figure of note was George Watter (1820-1892), a Scottish-born American businessman and philanthropist. He made his fortune in the textile industry and was known for his generous support of educational institutions, including the establishment of the Watter Free Library in his hometown of Paisley, Scotland.
Overall, the surname Watter has a rich history rooted in the Scottish Highlands and has been borne by notable individuals across various fields, including politics, architecture, land ownership, and business.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Watter
Among Census respondents with the surname Watter, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.6%. The next largest groups are Black (11.1%) and Two or More Races (5.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Watter 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 Watter surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White80.6% · 87
- Black or African American11.1% · 12
- Two or more races5.6% · 6
- Hispanic or Latino1.9% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Watter
Watter 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
#152,628
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
-32 bearers (-23.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 36,505 places
2020
#150,935
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
+1 bearers (+0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 1,693 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #116,123 | 139 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #152,628 | 107 | 0.04 | -32 bearers (-23.0%) | Down 36,505 places |
| 2020 | #150,935 | 108 | 0.04 | +1 bearers (+0.9%) | Up 1,693 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 Watter 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 | #152,628 | #150,935 | 1.1% |
| Count | 107 | 108 | 0.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -9.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Watter bearers went from 107 to 108 (+0.9% change). The surname moved up 1,693 positions in the national ranking, going from #152,628 to #150,935.
FAQ
Watter surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Watter?
Name Census estimates that about 124 living Americans carry the surname Watter. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,764,148 residents.
How common is Watter?
Watter ranks #150,935 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 108 people with the surname Watter. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (124), 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 Watter.
Has Watter become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Watter went from 107 recorded bearers to 108. That is an increase of 1 (+0.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #152,628 to #150,935.
What does the Census say about the background of Watter?
Among Census respondents with the surname Watter, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.6%. The next largest groups are Black (11.1%) and Two or More Races (5.6%). 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 Watter in the 2020 Census, accounting for 80.6% (87 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Watter appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (80.6%), Black (11.1%), Two or More Races (5.6%). 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 Watter (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 Watter mean?
An English surname derived from the Old French name "Watier," meaning watchman or guard. 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 Watter (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 common is the surname Watter?
See how many people have the surname Watter on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.