The Waters surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 67,929 people carried this name — #491 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 4,340 people counted. That is up 3% from 65,817 in 2000.

See Waters on the map Look up another surname

Share

What the name means

The meaning of the Waters surname

A surname originating as a patronymic.

From the given name Walter + the patronymic suffix -s.

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Waters» (English), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.

As an English and Welsh surname

Bardsley classes it as a baptismal name, from a given name: ‘the son of Walter’.

An early record he cites: Alicia Wartson, 1379 — Poll Tax, West Riding of Yorkshire.

His entry covers Waters and Waterson.

From Charles W. Bardsley, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with Special American Instances (London: Henry Frowde, 1901), p. 796 · public domain.

In Ireland’s birth registers, 1890

Ireland registered 47 births for the Waters name in 1890.

They were registered in all four provinces, most of all in Leinster. By the Registrar-General’s own method — births multiplied by 44.38 — that is about 2,100 people bearing the name in Ireland at the time. The Registrar-General’s note on the name: “Sligo, Wexford, and Monaghan.”

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they were born, 1890

Leinster 16
Connacht 13
Munster 10
Ulster 8

Registrar-General for Ireland, «Special Report on Surnames in Ireland» (R. E. Matheson, 1894), births index of 1890 — public domain.

In Argentina’s national register

At least 91 people named Waters live in Argentina.

RENAPER only publishes a name in a province when more than ten people there share it, so the real number is higher. Most of them live in Buenos Aires Province.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they live today

Buenos Aires Province 47
Chubut 44

RENAPER (National Registry of Persons, Argentina), surnames of residents by province, December 2021 — CC BY 4.0.

In France’s civil register

France’s register of deaths holds 29 people named Waters.

Most of them — 19 — were born outside France. Those born in France came from 3 départements, most often Paris.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they were born

Born outside France 19
Paris 5
Nord 4
Pas-de-Calais 1

Fichier des personnes décédées, INSEE — Licence Ouverte 2.0 · deaths recorded in France since 1970, by place of birth.

In the Nordic population registers

48 people named Waters is counted in Sweden.

Sweden’s figure is from 31 December 2022, the last count Statistics Sweden published.

Counted, by country

Sweden (2022) 48

Own calculations based on data from Statistics Sweden (SCB), surnames with at least two bearers, 31 December 2022 — CC BY 4.0 (names with 20 or more bearers shown).

Among the farmers of England and Wales, 1880s

Waters was found among the farmers of 5 counties.

It was most frequent in Monmouthshire: 50 in every 10,000 farmers there — about 1 in 200. 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

Monmouthshire 50
Norfolk 30
Wiltshire 28
Kent 25
Cornwall 10

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 Scotland’s registers today

Waters was recorded 25 times in Scotland’s registers of births, marriages and deaths in 2025.

That made it the 962nd most common name in those registers, shared with others on the same count. In 1975, the first year of the series, the count was 30. Each birth counts the child’s surname, each marriage both partners’ and each death the surname of the person who died — a yearly count of registrations, not of the people who live in Scotland.

National Records of Scotland, «Most Common Surnames, 2025» (published 26 May 2026): every surname recorded 10 or more times in the 2025 registers, and the series from 1975 · different spellings are counted separately — © Crown copyright 2026. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

In the first U.S. census, 1790

300 families named Waters, or a close spelling, were counted in 1790.

Each family is counted by its head. About 1,630 people lived in those households, 5.4 to a family on average. The census counted these spellings together: Waters, Waoters, Warters, Water, Wattar, Watter, Watters, Wauters, Worter, Worters, Woters. 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

Maryland 89
New York 40
Massachusetts 36
Connecticut 34
North Carolina 34
South Carolina 22
Pennsylvania 13
Virginia 13
New Hampshire 9
Vermont 7
Maine 3

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

Waters in American newspapers,
1879–1920.

Newspaper page from Daily Kennebec Journal carrying the name Waters
Daily Kennebec Journal 1919-10-28
Newspaper page from The Glasgow Courier carrying the name Waters
The Glasgow Courier 1920-11-05
Newspaper page from The New Orleans Daily Democrat carrying the name Waters
The New Orleans Daily Democrat 1879-01-09

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 9,073 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Waters in Australian newspapers,
1820s–2010s.

114,215 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Waters. The most, 22,257, date from the 1930s. New South Wales has the most articles, but weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, the name stands out most in the Northern Territory, at 2.3 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 36,320
Victoria 24,325
Queensland 23,452
South Australia 15,404
Western Australia 8,367
Tasmania 5,271
ACT (Canberra) 510
Northern Territory 406

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

Who carried it

People named Waters,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Walter W. Waters d. 1959
  • Edward Waters d. 1751
  • Anne Waters d. 1860
  • Harriett Exshaw d. 1908
  • Ernest Waters d. 1945
  • Cec Waters d. 1999 · rugby league player

Wikidata (CC0) · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Waters,
in the records of 10 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 States7,963 records

7,963 records of the Waters name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 2,376
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 1,903
  • Other U.S. records 3,684
  1. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record William Walter Waters

    Born 1949; from Norfolk, Virginia. U.S. Marine Corps, rifleman; killed in action 1968 in Thua Thien, South Vietnam. Buried at Hampton National Cemetery, Virginia.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Donald E. Waters

    Born 1914 in New York. Enlisted 1941 at Albany; bartender from Jefferson County. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1999, buried at St Mary's Cemetery, Clayton, New York.

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

    Arrived at New York in 1885 aboard the Adriatic from Liverpool, aged 25; servant. From Liverpool, England.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)

Showing 3 of 7,963 records for Waters in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain) · City of Asheville (public domain, PDDL) · New York State, Open NY (police and firefighter memorial rolls) · Sacramento County, Historic Burials (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain); U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Australia2,926 records

2,926 records of the Waters name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 1,428
  • Tasmanian Names Index 491
  • Other Australian records 1,007
  1. 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 Waters

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Lord William Bentinck, sailing from Portsmouth in 1838. Native of Wiltshire. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1842. Married 1842 in Hobart, Tasmania, aged 22.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Harry August Waters

    Died 1926 in St. Helen's Hospital, Hobart, Tasmania. Will registered in Tasmania in 1926.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Ada Elizabeth Waters

    Born 1864 in Launceston, Tasmania. Married 1884 in Launceston, Tasmania, aged 19.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 2,926 records for Waters 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) · ACT Government, Transport Canberra and City Services (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Prison-ship in Portsmouth Harbour, with the convicts going on board, etching by Edward William Cooke, 1829, Royal Museums Greenwich (public domain); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain); Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain).

Canada255 records

255 records of the Waters name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 116
  • City of Niagara Falls (Ontario) cemetery records 33
  • Other Canadian records 106
  1. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Peter Joseph Waters

    Killed in the Halifax Explosion of 1917, aged 37; buried at Mount Olivet Cemetery, Halifax.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record John Waters

    Came to Ontario in 1874 aboard the Helios, bound for Galt, Ontario; English.

    Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario.
  3. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Russell E. Waters

    Buried in 1987 at Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, Nova Scotia, aged 73.

    Halifax Regional Municipality. Contains information licenced under the Open Government Licence—Halifax.

Showing 3 of 255 records for Waters in Canada.

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

Netherlands224 records

224 records of the Waters name in the Netherlands
  • Dutch population registers 92
  • Dutch civil registers (births, marriages, deaths) 73
  • Dutch church registers before 1811 59
  1. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Willem Waters

    Married in 1858 in Bergh; farmer. Died 1861 in Vethuizen, aged 41; labourer.

    Open Archives, Gelders Archief (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Herman Joseph Waters

    Born 1911 in Geldrop. Died 1956 in Geldrop.

    Open Archives, Brabants Historisch Informatie Centrum (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Peter Matthias Waters

    Born 1871 in Winterswijk. Died 1950 in Geldrop.

    Open Archives, Gelders Archief (CC BY 4.0); Open Archives, Brabants Historisch Informatie Centrum (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 224 records for Waters in the Netherlands.

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

United Kingdom100 records

100 records of the Waters name in the United Kingdom
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 69
  • Welsh wills index cards 14
  • Other British records 17
  1. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Fanny Waters

    Will proved in 1932; of Blk, Blk.

    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 Daniel Waters

    Buried in 1801 at St James's burial ground, Euston, London, aged 63.

    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 F. Waters

    Driver, Royal Army Service Corps. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1919.

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

Showing 3 of 100 records for Waters in the United Kingdom.

Counts: National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (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. · Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. · National Library of Scotland, Rolls of Honour (public domain). 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 Zealand63 records

63 records of the Waters name in New Zealand
  • Christchurch City cemetery records 36
  • Marlborough District cemetery records 16
  • Other New Zealand records 11
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Mary Rebecca Waters

    Died 1900, aged 69; buried at Linwood Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Norman Archibald Waters

    Died 1988, aged 80; buried at Fairhall Cemetery, Marlborough.

    Marlborough District Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 2 of 63 records for Waters in New Zealand.

Counts: Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0) · Marlborough District Council (CC BY 4.0) · Canterbury Maps (Environment Canterbury), Timaru and Mackenzie District Councils (CC BY 3.0 NZ) · Waimakariri District Council (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

Germany14 records

14 records of the Waters name in Germany Germany's First World War casualty lists, 1914–1919
  1. A page of the German First World War casualty lists, 18 April 1918
    Example: German casualty list, 1918
    Casualty list Wilhelm Waters

    From Burgwaldniel, Kempen. Reported dead in the Prussian casualty list of 16 February 1915 (Reserve Infantry Regiment No. 68).

    Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0)
  2. A page of the German First World War casualty lists, 18 April 1918
    Example: German casualty list, 1918
    Casualty list Johann Waters

    From Süchteln. Reported missing in the Prussian casualty list of 20 February 1915.

    Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0)

Showing 2 of 14 records for Waters in Germany.

Counts: Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Deutsche Verlustlisten, Prussian list 1116, 18 April 1918 (scan via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0).

France11 records

11 records of the Waters 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 Olga Audrey Waters

    Born 1917 in Great Britain; died 1994 in Lannion (Côtes-d'Armor).

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

    Born 1896 in Paris; died 1973 in Créteil (Val-de-Marne).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Showing 2 of 11 records for Waters in France.

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).

Ireland2 records

2 records of the Waters name in Ireland County Galway graveyard records
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record John Waters

    Died 1966, aged 84; buried at Kilcummin, Co. Galway.

    Galway County Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 1 of 2 records for Waters in Ireland.

Counts: Galway County 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).

Belgium2 records

2 records of the Waters name in Belgium Belgian civil registers (births, marriages, deaths)
  1. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Birth record Joanna Maria Waters

    Born 1825 in Erembodegem.

    Open Archives, Stadsarchief Aalst (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 1 of 2 records for Waters in Belgium.

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Waters.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Waters 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.

See the Waters volume
Scroll to Top