The Waterhouse surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 3,577 people carried this name — #9,129 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 82,600 people counted. About the same as in 2000 (3,566).

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What the name means

The meaning of the Waterhouse surname

As an English and Welsh surname

Bardsley classes it as a local name, from where the family lived: ‘at the water-house’.

From Charles W. Bardsley, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with Special American Instances (London: Henry Frowde, 1901), p. 795 · public domain.

Among the farmers of England and Wales, 1880s

Waterhouse was found among the farmers of 2 counties.

It was most frequent in Yorkshire, West Riding: 12 in every 10,000 farmers there — about 1 in 833. Guppy counted the farmers listed in each county’s directory and recorded a name only where it reached about 7 in every 10,000; where it does not appear, it was rarer than that, not absent.

Where it concentrates, on the map

Per 10,000 farmers, by county

Yorkshire, West Riding 12
Derbyshire 7

H. B. Guppy, «Homes of Family Names in Great Britain» (London, 1890), alphabetical list of English and Welsh names — public domain · farmers in Kelly’s Post Office Directories of the 1880s, per 10,000 farmers in each county.

In the first U.S. census, 1790

58 families named Waterhouse, or a close spelling, were counted in 1790.

Each family is counted by its head. About 369 people lived in those households, 6.4 to a family on average. The table counts it together with one other spelling. The table lists white heads of families only, in the twelve states whose 1790 records survive; Virginia’s figures come from state lists of 1782–1785.

Families, by state

Connecticut 23
Maine 17
New Hampshire 5
Vermont 5
New York 5
Rhode Island 2
Massachusetts 1

U.S. Census Bureau, «A Century of Population Growth from the First Census of the United States to the Twelfth, 1790–1900» (Washington, 1909), table 111, p. 267 — public domain · names carried by at least 100 white persons in 1790.

In print

Waterhouse in American newspapers,
1894.

Newspaper page from Frostburg Mining Journal carrying the name Waterhouse
Frostburg Mining Journal 1894-12-15
Newspaper page from The Madison Daily Leader carrying the name Waterhouse
The Madison Daily Leader 1894-12-07
Newspaper page from The Democratic Press carrying the name Waterhouse
The Democratic Press 1894-12-12

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 102,749 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Waterhouse in Australian newspapers,
1820s–2000s.

34,762 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Waterhouse. The most, 4,908, date from the 1920s. Weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, it stands out most in South Australia, at 2.8 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

South Australia 12,424
New South Wales 8,330
Tasmania 7,013
Victoria 2,918
Western Australia 2,424
Queensland 1,318
ACT (Canberra) 243
Northern Territory 15

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Waterhouse.

Who carried it

People named Waterhouse,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Agnes Waterhouse
    Agnes Waterhouse 1502–1566
  • Edward Waterhouse
    Edward Waterhouse 1619–1670 · writer
  • Edward Waterhouse d. 1591
  • William Waterhouse d. 1890
  • Catherine Waterhouse d. 1842
  • Marion Iris Waterhouse d. 1966

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0 · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Waterhouse,
in the records of 6 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States636 records

636 records of the Waterhouse name in the United States
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 154
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 145
  • Other U.S. records 337
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record David M. Waterhouse

    Born 1919 in Massachusetts. Enlisted 1941 at Malden; laundry worker. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 2001, buried at Massachusetts Veterans' Memorial Cemetery, Agawam, Massachusetts.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Brid Waterhouse

    Arrived at New York in 1892 aboard the Britannic from Liverpool and Queenstown, aged 30; servant. From Queenstown, Ireland; bound for Philadelphia.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)
  3. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Albert H. Waterhouse

    Born 1931; from Kent County, Rhode Island. U.S. Army, light weapons infantryman; killed in action 1951 in South Korea.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain)

Showing 3 of 636 records for Waterhouse in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain).

Australia882 records

882 records of the Waterhouse name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 525
  • Tasmanian Names Index 217
  • Other Australian records 140
  1. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record John Waterhouse

    Died 1842 in Hobart, Tasmania, aged 53. Will registered in Tasmania in 1842.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  2. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record George Waterhouse

    Transported to New South Wales aboard the Theresa, arriving 1839; ticket of leave 1846.

    Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Charles Waterhouse

    Arrived in Victoria in 1852 aboard the William Hyde, aged 32; English.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 882 records for Waterhouse in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · State Library of Western Australia (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain); Prison-ship in Portsmouth Harbour, with the convicts going on board, etching by Edward William Cooke, 1829, Royal Museums Greenwich (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Canada43 records

43 records of the Waterhouse name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 15
  • Canadian Virtual War Memorial 10
  • Other Canadian records 18
  1. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Jno Waterhouse

    Came to Ontario in 1873 aboard the Nyanza, bound for Hamilton, Ontario; English.

    Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario.
  2. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Violet Waterhouse

    Died 1982, aged 72; buried at St. Vital Cemetery, Winnipeg, Manitoba.

    City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg.
  3. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Charles L. Waterhouse

    Died 1962 in Martins River, Lunenburg, Nova Scotia.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.

Showing 3 of 43 records for Waterhouse in Canada.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · City of Niagara Falls. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Niagara Falls. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. · City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

United Kingdom28 records

28 records of the Waterhouse name in the United Kingdom
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 25
  • Scottish rolls of honour, First World War 1
  • Other British records 2
  1. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record George Waterhouse

    Will proved in 1928; of Bethesda, Bangor.

    National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Phebe Waterhouse

    Buried in 1804 at St James's burial ground, Euston, London, aged 58.

    MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
  3. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record W. Waterhouse

    King's Royal Rifle Corps. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1917.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)

Showing 3 of 28 records for Waterhouse in the United Kingdom.

Counts: National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · National Library of Scotland, Rolls of Honour (public domain) · National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0) · MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain); Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0); C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0).

New Zealand8 records

8 records of the Waterhouse name in New Zealand
  • Marlborough District cemetery records 6
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 1
  • Christchurch City cemetery records 1
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record John Henry James Waterhouse

    Died 1952, aged 85; buried at Omaka Cemetery, Marlborough.

    Marlborough District Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record James Waterhouse

    Died 1929, aged 72; buried at Bromley Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the Livre d’or of the French war dead, Paris
    Example: roll of the war dead
    War record T. Waterhouse

    New Zealand Infantry. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1918.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)

Showing 3 of 8 records for Waterhouse in New Zealand.

Counts: Marlborough District Council (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0); Livre d’or of the war dead, Paris, Ministère des pensions, Archives nationales (CC0).

France2 records

2 records of the Waterhouse name in France France's national death register, 1970–2001
  1. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Donald Waterhouse

    Born 1935 in Great Britain; died 1996 in Paris.

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
  2. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Mickael Waterhouse

    Born 1944 in Great Britain; died 1994 in Altillac (Corrèze).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Counts: Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Death register of Nice, 1930, Archives départementales des Alpes-Maritimes (public domain).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Waterhouse.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Waterhouse is.
A volume says what happened to it.

Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.

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