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Watkins Family History

Watkins Surname Meaning

English and Welsh: variant of Watkin with genitival or post-medieval excrescent -s.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022


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Hint: Try searching for a relative alive in 1940.

Where is the Watkins family from?

You can see how Watkins families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Watkins family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Watkins families were found in USA in 1880. In 1840 there were 155 Watkins families living in Virginia. This was about 12% of all the recorded Watkins's in USA. Virginia had the highest population of Watkins families in 1840.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Watkins surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.
  • 1840
  • 1880
  • 1920
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What did your Watkins ancestors do for a living?

In 1940, Laborer and Maid were the top reported jobs for men and women in the USA named Watkins. 19% of Watkins men worked as a Laborer and 10% of Watkins women worked as a Maid. Some less common occupations for Americans named Watkins were Truck Driver and Teacher.

View Census Data for Watkins | Data not to scale

*We display top occupations by gender to maintain their historical accuracy during times when men and women often performed different jobs.

Top Male Occupations In 1940

  • Laborer
    19%
  • Farmer
    18%
  • Salesman
    4%
  • Truck Driver
    3%

Top Female Occupations In 1940

  • Maid
    10%
  • Housekeeper
    7%
  • Cook
    6%
  • Teacher
    6%

What Watkins family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 703,000 census records available for the last name Watkins. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Watkins census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search US census records for Watkins

Passenger Lists

There are 103,000 immigration records available for the last name Watkins. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in the USA, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

View all Watkins immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 117,000 military records available for the last name Watkins. For the veterans among your Watkins ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Watkins military records

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