Show ContentsWarter History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The ancestors of the name Warter date back to the Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. The name is derived from when the Warter family lived in Shropshire. The name Warter indicates that the original bearer of the name lived close to a prominent body of water such as a lake or river.

"Water was the normal medieval pronunciation of Walter. Theobald Walter is also called Theobaldus filius Walteri, Theobaldus Walteri and Tebaut Water in the Feet of Fines for Lancashire 1212-1236." [1]

Another reputable source has another theory about the origin of the name. "In some dialects, the word water is applied to lakes and rivers, as Ullswater, Derwent-water, Black-water. Upon the adoption of surnames by the common people, a person who resided near such a place would be called William or John Atte-Water, still retained in Attwater; but on the omission of the preposition in the XV. century, the name was pluralized to Waters. The latinizations are De Aqua and Ad Aquam." [2]

And another source claims it was "a name given to one who navigated the waters, or resided near them." [3]

Ralph Wader of Guader, Earl of Norfolk (fl. 1070), was "son of Ralph the Staller (d. 1066). This Ralph is frequently referred to in Domesday Book as having held various estates, and is twice mentioned as 'Radulfus comes vetus' (ii. 128b, 129), and on one other occasion as 'Radulfus Stalra' and father of Ralph Guader." [4]

Early Origins of the Warter family

The surname Warter was first found in Shropshire where they held a family seat from very ancient times, in Ludlow, before and after the Norman Conquest in 1066.

Waterus de Cantelupo was listed in Lincolnshire in c. 1135; and later John Watter was listed in the Curia Regis Rolls for Warwickshire in 1214. Richard Wauter and Roger Water were found in the Subsidy Rolls for Worcestershire in 1275 and a few years later, Hugh Water was listed in the Assize Rolls for Northumberland in 1279. Alice Waters was found in the Subsidy Rolls for Suffolk in 1327 and John Wauters was listed in Warwickshire in 1348. [1]

Early History of the Warter family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Warter research. Another 64 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1610, 1731, 1754, 1774, 1777, 1797, 1816, 1840, 1841, 1842 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Warter History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Warter Spelling Variations

It is only in the last few hundred years that the English language has been standardized. For that reason, early Anglo-Saxon surnames like Warter are characterized by many spelling variations. As the English language changed and incorporated elements of other European languages, even literate people changed the spelling of their names. The variations of the name Warter include: Waters, Water and others.

Early Notables of the Warter family

Notables of the family at this time include John Waters FitzGeorge of Newcastle, whose grandson became Count Waters, Baron and Seigneur of Mainsfort in the province of Bery in France.Sir John Waters (1774-1842), Welsh lieutenant-general, was born in 1774 at Tyfry, near Welsh St. Donats, Glamorganshire. His grandfather, Edward Waters of Pittcott, was High Sheriff of Glamorganshire in 1754. His father, whose name is not ascertained, died young, leaving a large family. The Marquis of Bute obtained a commission for the son in the 1st (Royal Scots) foot on 2 Aug. 1797. He was given the colonelcy of the 81st foot...
Another 121 words (9 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Warter Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ireland Migration of the Warter family to Ireland

Some of the Warter family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 77 words (6 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States Warter migration to the United States +

Many English families tired of political and religious strife left Britain for the new colonies in North America. Although the trip itself offered no relief - conditions on the ships were extremely cramped, and many travelers arrived diseased, starving, and destitute - these immigrants believed the opportunities that awaited them were worth the risks. Once in the colonies, many of the families did indeed prosper and, in turn, made significant contributions to the culture and economies of the growing colonies. An inquiry into the early roots of North American families has revealed a number of immigrants bearing the name Warter or a variant listed above:

Warter Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Geo Warter, who arrived in Virginia in 1663 [5]
Warter Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Frederick Warter, aged 33, who landed in Mobile, Ala in 1883 [5]
  • Miss Elisa Warter, aged 15, German settler who arrived in New York in 1893 aboard the ship "La Bourgogne" [6]
  • Mr. Emile Warter, aged 19, German settler who arrived in New York in 1893 aboard the ship "La Bourgogne" [7]
  • Mr. Eliseo Warter, aged 15, German settler who arrived in New York in 1893 aboard the ship "La Bourgogne" [8]

Contemporary Notables of the name Warter (post 1700) +

  • Major Allison Digby Tatham- Warter DSO (1917-1993), also known as Digby Tatham-Warter or just Digby, a British Army officer who fought in the Second World War and was famed for wearing a bowler hat and carrying an umbrella into battle, born in Atcham, Shropshire
  • John Wood Warter (1806-1878), Welsh divine and antiquary, the eldest son of Henry de Grey Warter (1770–1853) of Cruck Meole, Shropshire


  1. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  2. Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
  3. Arthur, William , An Etymological Dictionary of Family and Christian Names. London: 1857. Print
  4. Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
  5. Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
  6. Germans to America retrieved 21st October 2021. Retrieved from Glazier, Ira. A., and Filby, P. William. Germans to America: Lists of Passengers Arriving at U.S. Ports. Vol. 62, Scholarly Resources Inc, 2000
  7. Germans to America retrieved 21st October 2021. Retrieved from Glazier, Ira. A., and Filby, P. William. Germans to America: Lists of Passengers Arriving at U.S. Ports. Vol. 62, Scholarly Resources Inc, 2011
  8. Germans to America retrieved 21st October 2021. Retrieved from Glazier, Ira. A., and Filby, P. William. Germans to America: Lists of Passengers Arriving at U.S. Ports. Vol. 62, Scholarly Resources Inc, 2012


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