Atwater History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The ancestors of the bearers of the Atwater family name are thought have lived in ancient Anglo-Saxon England. They were first found near water. This name is derived from the medieval preposition atte, which means near or at and the word waeter, which means water.

Early Origins of the Atwater family

The surname Atwater was first found in Lincolnshire, where they held a family seat from ancient times, long before the Norman Conquest in 1066.

Early History of the Atwater family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Atwater research. Another 75 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1440, 1514 and 1521 are included under the topic Early Atwater History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Atwater Spelling Variations

Until quite recently, the English language has lacked a definite system of spelling rules. Consequently, Anglo-Saxon surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. Changes in Anglo-Saxon names were influenced by the evolution of the English language, as it incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other languages. Although Medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, so it is common to find one person referred to by several different spellings of his surname, even the most literate people varied the spelling of their own names. Variations of the name Atwater include Attwater, Atwater, Attewater and others.

Early Notables of the Atwater family

Notables of the family at this time include William Attwater, (1440-1521), Bishop of Lincoln, who was, according to his epitaph, born about 1440. "A family of...
Another 26 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Atwater Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Atwater Ranking

In the United States, the name Atwater is the 7,858^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1

Atwater migration to the United States +

Searching for a better life, many English families migrated to British colonies. Unfortunately, the majority of them traveled under extremely harsh conditions: overcrowding on the ships caused the majority of the immigrants to arrive diseased, famished, and destitute from the long journey across the ocean. For those families that arrived safely, modest prosperity was attainable, and many went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the new colonies. Research into the origins of individual families in North America revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Atwater or a variant listed above:

Atwater Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

David Atwater (1615-1692), who sailed aboard the Hector arriving in Boston in 1637, one of the first of the New Haven Colony who was sworn a freeman of the United Colony
David Atwater, who landed in New Haven, Connecticut in 1638 2
Ann Atwater, who arrived in New Haven, CT in 1638
Joshua Atwater, who arrived in New Haven, Connecticut in 1645 2
Joshua Atwater, who settled in Connecticut in 1658

Atwater Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Stephen Atwater, aged 32, who landed in New Haven, Connecticut in 1829 2
A Atwater, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1851 2
C A Atwater, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1875 2

Atwater migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Atwater Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Mr. William Atwater, U.E., United Empire Loyalist, who settled in Canada c. 1783 3

Contemporary Notables of the name Atwater (post 1700) +

Harvey Leroy "Lee" Atwater (1951-1991), American political consultant and strategist
Steve Atwater, former NFL football player
Wilbur Olin Atwater (1844-1907), American chemist known for his studies of human nutrition and metabolism
Edwin B. Atwater, American Republican politician, Independent Republican Candidate for Connecticut State House of Representatives from Hamden, 1904 4
Edward S. Atwater, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for New York state comptroller, 1900 4
Edgar Atwater (1812-1850), American politician, Member of Connecticut State Senate 6th District, 1840 4
Dorence Atwater, American politician, U.S. Consul in Tahiti, 1884 4
Clifford J. Atwater (b. 1858), American Republican politician, Member of Connecticut State House of Representatives, 1898-1900 4
Charles Atwater Jr., American politician, Member of Connecticut State Senate 4th District, 1862 4
A. T. Atwater (b. 1873), American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from Georgia, 1916, 1920, 1924, 1932, 1948 4
... (Another 26 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Citations +

"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)
Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 10) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html