2000
#455
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 65,817
First available Census row
Per 100,000 24.40
Uncommon Last name
Waters
An occupational surname referring to someone who lived near or worked with water, such as a sailor or fisherman.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 74,578 Americans carry the last name Waters. That puts it at #504 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 21.76 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 4,596 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Waters 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 Waters with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
75K
1 in 4,596
Census rank
#504
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
21.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
65K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 65,036 bearers of the surname Waters in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 21.76 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 504th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Waters, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.2%. The next largest groups are Black (19.5%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Waters
The surname Waters originated in England during the medieval period. It is a topographic name that refers to someone who lived near a body of water, such as a river, lake, or stream. The name is derived from the Old English word "waeter," which means water.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Waters surname can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is spelled as "Watere." This suggests that the name was already in use by the time of the Norman Conquest in 1066.
In the 13th century, the surname appeared in various records with different spellings, such as "Atte Watere," "Ater Watere," and "de la Water." These variations reflect the influence of Norman French on the English language during that time.
The Waters surname is also associated with several place names in England, such as Water Newton in Cambridgeshire and Waterhead in Cumbria. These place names likely contributed to the spread and adoption of the surname in those areas.
One notable figure with the surname Waters was John Waters (1628-1692), an English politician and Member of Parliament for Northampton during the reign of Charles II. Another was Thomas Waters (1738-1798), an English composer and organist known for his church music.
In the United States, one of the earliest recorded instances of the Waters surname dates back to the 17th century. John Waters (1666-1744) was an English-born merchant who settled in Philadelphia and became a prominent figure in the city's commerce and politics.
Sarah Waters (born 1966) is a contemporary Welsh novelist known for her novels set in Victorian England, such as "Tipping the Velvet" and "Fingersmith." Her works explore themes of gender, sexuality, and social class during that era.
Another famous individual with the surname is Roger Waters (born 1943), the co-founder, bassist, and principal songwriter of the legendary English rock band Pink Floyd. He is renowned for his conceptual albums and lyrical explorations of various sociopolitical themes.
Overall, the Waters surname has a long and rich history, originating from England and reflecting the country's linguistic and geographical influences over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Waters
Among Census respondents with the surname Waters, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.2%. The next largest groups are Black (19.5%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Waters 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 Waters surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White71.2% · 46,332
- Black or African American19.5% · 12,676
- Two or more races4.3% · 2,823
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 2,234
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 531
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 440
Timeline
Historical Census data for Waters
Waters 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
#491
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 67,929
+2,112 bearers (+3.2%)
Per 100,000 23.03
Rank movement Down 36 places
2020
#504
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 65,036
-2,893 bearers (-4.3%)
Per 100,000 21.76
Rank movement Down 13 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #455 | 65,817 | 24.40 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #491 | 67,929 | 23.03 | +2,112 bearers (+3.2%) | Down 36 places |
| 2020 | #504 | 65,036 | 21.76 | -2,893 bearers (-4.3%) | Down 13 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 Waters 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 | #491 | #504 | -2.6% |
| Count | 67,929 | 65,036 | -4.3% |
| Per 100K | 23.03 | 21.76 | -5.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Waters bearers went from 67,929 to 65,036 (-4.3% change). The surname moved down 13 positions in the national ranking, going from #491 to #504.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Waters
FAQ
Waters surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Waters?
Name Census estimates that about 74,578 living Americans carry the surname Waters. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 4,596 residents.
How common is Waters?
Waters ranks #504 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 21.76 per 100,000 residents, which is about 22 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 65,036 people with the surname Waters. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (74,578), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 21.76 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 21.76 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 22 of them to have the surname Waters.
Has Waters become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Waters went from 67,929 recorded bearers to 65,036. That is a decrease of 2,893 (-4.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #491 to #504.
What does the Census say about the background of Waters?
Among Census respondents with the surname Waters, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.2%. The next largest groups are Black (19.5%) and Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Waters in the 2020 Census, accounting for 71.2% (46,332 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Waters appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (71.2%), Black (19.5%), Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Waters (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 Waters mean?
An occupational surname referring to someone who lived near or worked with water, such as a sailor or fisherman. 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 Waters (21.76 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 many Americans have the surname Waters?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.