2000
#2,246
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 14,872
First available Census row
Per 100,000 5.51
Uncommon Last name
Watt
An occupational surname referring to a watchman, herdsman, or hunter.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 17,113 Americans carry the last name Watt. That puts it at #2,388 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.99 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 20,029 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Watt 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 Watt with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
17K
1 in 20,029
Census rank
#2,388
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
5.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
15K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 14,923 bearers of the surname Watt in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.99 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2388th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Watt, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.2%. The next largest groups are Black (14.5%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Watt
The surname Watt has its origins in Scotland, with records dating back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Old English word "wath" or "vath," meaning a ford or shallow crossing in a river. This suggests that the name likely originated from someone who lived near a ford or crossing point.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which lists several individuals with the surname Watt or Vath from various regions of Scotland. In the 14th century, the name appears in the Register of the Great Seal of Scotland, indicating its presence among landowners and prominent families.
The surname Watt has a strong connection to the Scottish Borders region, particularly in the areas around Roxburghshire and Berwickshire. It is also found in other parts of Scotland, such as Ayrshire and Lanarkshire.
Historically, the name has been associated with several notable figures. One of the most famous bearers of the surname is James Watt, the renowned Scottish inventor and mechanical engineer born in 1736. His improvements to the steam engine played a crucial role in the Industrial Revolution.
Another prominent individual was Sir Thomas Watt, a Scottish diplomat and ambassador who served during the reign of King James VI in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. He played a significant role in the Union of the Crowns and the establishment of the Stuart dynasty in England.
In the literary world, Ian Watt, a Scottish literary critic and scholar born in 1917, made significant contributions to the study of the English novel and its origins.
Robert Watt, born in 1774, was a Scottish bibliographer and editor known for his work on the "Bibliotheca Britannica," a comprehensive catalogue of British literature.
Lastly, John Watt, a Scottish engineer born in 1811, was instrumental in the development of early railways and is credited with designing and constructing several notable bridges and viaducts in Scotland and England.
While the Watt surname has its roots in Scotland, it has spread across the globe, with bearers of the name found in various countries and cultures today.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Watt
Among Census respondents with the surname Watt, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.2%. The next largest groups are Black (14.5%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Watt 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 Watt surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White75.2% · 11,216
- Black or African American14.5% · 2,168
- Two or more races4.4% · 650
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 562
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.3% · 195
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 132
Timeline
Historical Census data for Watt
Watt 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
#2,387
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 15,211
+339 bearers (+2.3%)
Per 100,000 5.16
Rank movement Down 141 places
2020
#2,388
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 14,923
-288 bearers (-1.9%)
Per 100,000 4.99
Rank movement Down 1 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,246 | 14,872 | 5.51 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,387 | 15,211 | 5.16 | +339 bearers (+2.3%) | Down 141 places |
| 2020 | #2,388 | 14,923 | 4.99 | -288 bearers (-1.9%) | Down 1 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 Watt 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 | #2,387 | #2,388 | -0.0% |
| Count | 15,211 | 14,923 | -1.9% |
| Per 100K | 5.16 | 4.99 | -3.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Watt bearers went from 15,211 to 14,923 (-1.9% change). The surname moved down 1 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,387 to #2,388.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Watt
FAQ
Watt surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Watt?
Name Census estimates that about 17,113 living Americans carry the surname Watt. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 20,029 residents.
How common is Watt?
Watt ranks #2,388 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.99 per 100,000 residents, which is about 5 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 14,923 people with the surname Watt. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (17,113), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.99 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.99 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 5 of them to have the surname Watt.
Has Watt become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Watt went from 15,211 recorded bearers to 14,923. That is a decrease of 288 (-1.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,387 to #2,388.
What does the Census say about the background of Watt?
Among Census respondents with the surname Watt, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.2%. The next largest groups are Black (14.5%) and Two or More Races (4.4%). 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 Watt in the 2020 Census, accounting for 75.2% (11,216 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Watt appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (75.2%), Black (14.5%), Two or More Races (4.4%). 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 Watt (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 Watt mean?
An occupational surname referring to a watchman, herdsman, or hunter. 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 Watt (4.99 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 Watt?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.