Watterson History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland
Scotland

Early Origins of the Watterson family

The surname Watterson was first found in Yorkshire where the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 include John Waulerson, 1 Johannes Wauterson and Alicia Wartson. 2

In Scotland, the family claim Ross-shire, specifically the lands of Waterson in the parish of Fern (Fearn) as their ancient homestead. "These lands probably obtained their name from Walter, uncle and tutor of Dempster, one of the heirs portioners of the lordsnip of Menmuir. A payment of twenty-five shillings by William de Walteristoun to David Scot, custos of the burgh of Montrose, is recorded in 1329 and David de Walterstoun had eight marks out of the farms in the thanage of Tannadyce, 1359." 3 Wether Hill is located in Dumfries and Galloway, near New Galloway, Scotland; near Perth and near Penrith, England.

Early History of the Watterson family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Watterson research. Another 279 words (20 lines of text) covering the years 1317, 1359, 1384, 1450, 1495, 1514, 1540, 1585, 1594, 1634, 1656, 1676, 1890 and 1929 are included under the topic Early Watterson History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Watterson Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Waterson, Watersone, Waterston, Watherston and many more.

Early Notables of the Watterson family

Notable amongst the family name during their early history was Edward Waterson (died 1594), English Catholic priest and martyr, beatified in 1929; Simon Waterson (1585-1634) a London prominent publisher of Edmund...
Another 30 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Watterson Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Watterson Ranking

In the United States, the name Watterson is the 7,235^th most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 4

Migration of the Watterson family to Ireland

Some of the Watterson family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 57 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Watterson migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Watterson Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Arthur Watterson, who arrived in Arkansas in 1852 5

Watterson migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Watterson Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

John Watterson, aged 36, a cabinet maker, who arrived in Port Nicholson aboard the ship "Lady Nugent" in 1841
Mary Watterson, aged 36, who arrived in Port Nicholson aboard the ship "Lady Nugent" in 1841
Jamie Watterson, aged 12, who arrived in Port Nicholson aboard the ship "Lady Nugent" in 1841
Mary Watterson, aged 14, a sempstress, who arrived in Port Nicholson aboard the ship "Lady Nugent" in 1841
John Watterson, aged 9, who arrived in Port Nicholson aboard the ship "Lady Nugent" in 1841
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Watterson (post 1700) +

Henry Watterson (1840-1921), American journalist, politician and Confederate soldier, Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Kentucky (1876-1877)
John Ambrose Watterson (1844-1899), American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church, Bishop of Columbus from 1880 until his death in 1899.
William Boyd "Bill" Watterson (b. 1958), American multiple award winning cartoonist and the author of the influential and popular comic strip Calvin and Hobbes,inducted into the Will Eisner Award Hall of Fame in 2020
Peter Francis Watterson (1927-1996), American Catholic priest
Harvey Magee Watterson (1811-1891), American lawyer, newspaper editor, and politician
Mike Watterson (1942-2019), English professional snooker player, businessman and entrepreneur; he won a National Amateur Championship, and was an England Amateur international for two years
Juan Paul Watterson (b. 1980), Manx politician, Speaker of the House of Keys, and a member for Rushen, on the Isle of Man
Henry Watterson Hull Ph.D. (1890-1977), American character actor
Frank Watterson Nesbitt (b. 1870), American Republican politician, Ohio County Prosecuting Attorney, 1901-04; Circuit Judge in West Virginia for the 1st Judicial Circuit, 1905-13 6

Citations +

Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
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)
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 18) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html