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Waters Family History

Waters Name Meaning

English and Scottish: variant of Water 1 and 2 with genitival or post-medieval excrescent -s. Irish: when not the English surname this is an Anglicized form of various Gaelic names taken to be derived from uisce ‘water’ (see for example Haskin Hiskey ).

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


Similar surnames: Water, Watters, Warters, Walters, Gates, Cater, Sayers, Matters

Search for a relative to learn more about your family history.

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Where is the Waters family from?

You can see how Waters families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Waters family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Waters families were found in USA in 1880. In 1911 there were 577 Waters families living in Ontario. This was about 58% of all the recorded Waters's in Canada. Ontario had the highest population of Waters families in 1911.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Waters surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

What did your Waters ancestors do for a living?

In 1921, Farmer and Housekeeper were the top reported jobs for men and women in the Canada named Waters. 36% of Waters men worked as a Farmer and 19% of Waters women worked as a Housekeeper. Some less common occupations for Americans named Waters were Salesman and Student. .

View Census Data for Waters | 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 1921

  • Farmer
    36%
  • Labourer
    11%
  • Laborer
    6%
  • Salesman
    5%

Top Female Occupations In 1921

  • Housekeeper
    19%
  • Income
    14%
  • Farmer
    10%
  • Student
    10%
Black & white image of two construction labourers

What Waters family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 443,000 census records available for the last name Waters. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Waters census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search Canadian census records for Waters

Passenger Lists

There are 51,000 immigration records available for the last name Waters. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in Canada, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

View all Waters immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 70,000 military records available for the last name Waters. For the veterans among your Waters ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Waters military records

You've only scratched the surface of Waters family history

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What is the average Waters lifespan?

Between 1940 and 2004, in the United States, Waters life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1945, and highest in 2003. The average life expectancy for Waters in 1940 was 33, and 73 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Waters

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