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Watson Family History

Watson Surname Meaning

Scottish English and Irish: patronymic meaning ‘son of Wat’ a pet form of Walter that was particularly common in Scotland and northern England.

See Watt.

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


Similar surnames: 

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Hint: Try searching for a relative alive in 1940.

Where is the Watson family from?

You can see how Watson families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Watson family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Watson families were found in USA in 1880. In 1840 there were 385 Watson families living in Pennsylvania. This was about 12% of all the recorded Watson's in USA. Pennsylvania had the highest population of Watson families in 1840.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Watson 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 Watson ancestors do for a living?

In 1940, Laborer and Maid were the top reported jobs for men and women in the USA named Watson. 16% of Watson men worked as a Laborer and 8% of Watson women worked as a Maid. Some less common occupations for Americans named Watson were Truck Driver and Housewife.

View Census Data for Watson | 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
    16%
  • Farmer
    16%
  • Salesman
    4%
  • Truck Driver
    3%

Top Female Occupations In 1940

  • Maid
    8%
  • Housekeeper
    6%
  • Teacher
    6%
  • Housewife
    6%

What Watson family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 2 million census records available for the last name Watson. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Watson census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search US census records for Watson

Passenger Lists

There are 270,000 immigration records available for the last name Watson. 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 Watson immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 299,000 military records available for the last name Watson. For the veterans among your Watson ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Watson military records

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