Surname Waters - Meaning and Origin

Discovering the History and Connections of 'Waters' through iGENEA DNA Testing

Have you ever wondered where your surname originated from, or wanted to connect with different people sharing the same surname? iGENEA DNA test provides all these insights and more in a single test. Read on to know an experience with the surname 'Waters'.

I. Waters

Waters: What does the surname Waters mean?

The surname Waters is of English and Irish origin. In English, it is a topographical name derived from the Middle English term 'water', indicating someone who lived by a body of water like a river or a lake. This name took an "s" at the end which indicated "son of", becoming Waters, which signifies 'son of the water'.

In Irish origin, the surname Waters is an anglicized version of the Gaelic surname 'Ó hUisce', which means ‘descendant of Uisce’. Uisce is a personal name derived from "uisce", the Irish word for water.

The Waters surname has seen various forms over the centuries, including Water, Wauters, Waters, and others due to regional and phonetic influences. People with the surname Waters are found all over the world today, a testament to the widespread migration of people from both England and Ireland.

Waters: Where does the name Waters come from?

The last name Waters is a fairly common Anglo-Saxon surname — it can be found all over the world. Within the United States, the surname is most common in the East and South-Central regions according to the United States Census Bureau. The most populous states for Waters are Georgia, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia, Arkansas, North Carolina, and Louisiana.

In the United Kingdom, the Waters surname is most common in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. The Waters family has quite a long and illustrious history in the UK — tracing back hundreds of years — and even today, there is a large population of Waters in Aberdeenshire and surrounding areas, as well as in England and Wales.

The Waters surname can even be found as far afield as Australia, where it is most popular in New South Wales and Queensland.

In Canada, Waters is most common in Ontario, followed by Quebec, British Columbia, Alberta, and Nova Scotia.

If you are of the Waters surname, there's a good chance you'll find many others of the same name around the world.

Variations of the surname Waters

Waters is a popular Anglo-Saxon surname throughout the British Isles. It is derived from a nickname, referring to someone who lived near water or who worked in a river trade, which would later become a surname.

Variants of Waters include Watter, Waetere, Watteras, Watteris, Waterous, Waterouss, Watras, Wattras and Wattere. Spellings of Waters are more likely to differ when written in a document in another language such as French, where the surname is more likely to be written as Watier or Watier-Est. Other surnames with a similar origin and meaning as Waters include the French spelling Wautier, as well as Wattier, Watier, Watier-in-Chief, Watier-in-Waistcoat, Watson, Watsons, Washington, Watkins and Wates.

Additionally, there are other surnames which have derived from the same origin and meaning of Waters but have now become confused with it. These include the surnames Waddington, Wadhams, Waddles, Wadsworth, Wadders, Warder, Warden, Wotherspoon and Watton.

Overall, it can be seen that Waters is a popular surname which has variants, spellings and other names of the same origin with subtle but distinguishable differences.

Famous people with the name Waters

• Muddy Waters (1913-1983): American Blues musician and singer-songwriter who influenced generations of blues and rock performers
• Ethel Waters (1896-1977): American singer and actress, known for performances on Broadway and in film
• Roger Waters (born 1943): English musician, songwriter and composer, best known as bassist and vocalist in the band Pink Floyd
• Alice Waters (born 1944): American Chef, restaurateur, and food activist, noted for her devotion to organic and locally produced ingredients
• Crystal Waters (born 1964): American house music singer and songwriter, best known for her 1991 single "Gypsy Woman (She’s Homeless)"
• Deborah H. Waters (born 1970): British engineering professor in University College London and the 2017-18 president of the Institution of Civil Engineers
• Michael Waters (born 1956): American geologist and the Director of the Center for the Study of the First Americans at Texas A&M University
• Edie Wasserman (1916-2007): American philanthropist, film producer and wife of prominent film executive Lew Wasserman
• Bertha Waters (1876-1962): British concert vocalist of the early 20th century
• Jennifer Waters (born 1970): American former anchor of CNBC weekday program Power Lunch and current anchor of the show CME Group

Other surnames

WaterWaterburyWaterfohrWaterholterWaterhölterWaterhouseWaterkampWaterkämperWaterkemperWatermanWatermannWatermayerWatermeierWaterousWaterstraatWaterstradtWaterstratWaterstrathWaterton