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Origins of the Watts surname

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What does the name Watts mean?

Watts is an English surname. The Watts name is patronymic in its origin, given to those who were the son or heir of someone named 'Walter' or 'Wat'. Wat was a diminutive form of Walter, one of the most popular names of the 1200s and 1300s.

Alternative variations of the name Watts

Watts, Watt, Wat, Wats, Waits

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Where do most Wattses live?

In 1921, most Wattses lived in London.


Census records trace your ancestors through each generation, so you can follow where your relatives lived through each decade.

Interesting facts about Wattses

How common is your surname?

122nd most common surname in the UK

We have 265,000 records for the Watts surname. The oldest one dates back to 1220.

Who were Wattses most likely to marry?

Smiths

&

Browns

Our Marriage record sets tell us which families married Wattses.

What are the most common Watts first names?

  • John
  • William
  • Mary
  • Elizabeth

Our birth record sets tell us the names of Watts family members

Common jobs for Wattses

Men and women often performed different types of jobs, so these are displayed by gender to maintain their historical accuracy.

Common Female occupations for Wattses in 1921
Dressmaker

1,224

Laundress

898

General Servant Domestic

680

Domestic Servant

659

General Servant

506

Common Male occupations for Wattses in 1921
Agricultural Labourer

1,757

General Labourer

976

Carpenter

931

Farm Labourer

915

Farmer

818

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Census records provide incredible detail on names, ages, marital statuses, occupations and more.

We found over 270,000 family trees with the Watts surname

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