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
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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 1911 there were 4,471 Watson families living in Ontario. This was about 57% of all the recorded Watson's in Canada. Ontario had the highest population of Watson families in 1911.
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.
In 1921, Farmer and Stenographer were the top reported jobs for men and women in the Canada named Watson. 30% of Watson men worked as a Farmer and 9% of Watson women worked as a Stenographer. Some less common occupations for Americans named Watson were Carpenter and Teacher. .
Between 1940 and 2004, in the United States, Watson life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1944, and highest in 2002. The average life expectancy for Watson in 1940 was 35, and 73 in 2004.