How common is the surname Watkins?

127,083 people in the United States had the surname Watkins in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 2,429 Americans. It ranked 240th of 162,253 surnames.

Who is the most famous person named Watkins?

Tuc Watkins, American actor, followed by Tionne Watkins.

Where is the surname Watkins most common?

Wikidata records people named Watkins in the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia and 2 other countries.

Is the surname Watkins getting more or less common?

More common. 122,447 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 127,083 in 2010, up 3.8%.

Is Watkins also a first name?

Yes. Watkins is used as a first name as well as a surname; its first-name page has the meaning and how many babies were given it.

The surname Watkins

A patronymic surname, carried by 127,083 people in the United States.

2 syllables Soundex W325

Every surname held by 100 or more people in the 2010 US Census, most common on the left (162,253 in all). Watkins is more common than 99.9% of them.

Origin

From a medieval diminutive of the given name Walter + the patronymic suffix -s.

Watkins is a patronymic surname: formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name.

Origin from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).

How common it is

2010 US Census

There were 127,083 people named Watkins in the United States in 2010, about 1 in every 2,429 Americans. That is up 3.8% since 2000, when the Census counted 122,447.

#240

rank among US surnames

127,083

people in 2010

per 100,000 Americans

+3.8%

change since 2000 (was #222)

Rank	Surname	People	1 in
#231	Carpenter	129,898	2,377
#232	Lawrence	129,699	2,380
#233	Sandoval	128,948	2,394
#234	Guerrero	128,677	2,399
#235	George	128,625	2,400
#236	Chapman	127,939	2,413
#237	Rios	127,794	2,416

Who is named Watkins

Race and Hispanic origin as people reported it in the 2010 Census

62% of people named Watkins identified as white (not Hispanic), 32% as Black (not Hispanic) and 2.6% as two or more races.

White (not Hispanic) 62%
Black (not Hispanic) 32%
Two or more races 2.6%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 2.1%
American Indian and Alaska Native 0.6%
Asian and Pacific Islander 0.4%

Compare: most common surnames among white Americans.

Famous Watkinss

25 notable people on Wikidata, most written-about first

Tuc Watkins
American actor, born 1966
Tionne Watkins
American singer, born 1970
Michaela Watkins
American actress, born 1971
Jason Watkins
British actor, born 1966
Calvert Watkins
American linguist and philologist (1933-2013)
Maurine Dallas Watkins
American journalist (1896–1969)
Sara Watkins
American musician, born 1981
Frank Watkins
American musician (1968-2015)
Carleton Watkins
American photographer (1829–1916)
Arthur Vivian Watkins
American politician, 1886–1973
Linda Watkins
American actress (1908-1976)
Emma Watkins
Australian musician, born 1989

Notable Watkinss come mostly from the United States (19), the United Kingdom (2) and Australia (2).

Spellings and sound-alikes

Useful when a record has your ancestor under another spelling

Surnames that sound like Watkins

Watkins has the Soundex code W325, the code US census indexes have used since the 1930s. Every surname with code W325.

Questions

Where does the surname Watkins come from?: From a medieval diminutive of the given name Walter + the patronymic suffix -s.
How common is the surname Watkins?: 127,083 people in the United States had the surname Watkins in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 2,429 Americans. It ranked 240th of 162,253 surnames.
What ethnicity is the surname Watkins?: In the 2010 Census, 62% of people named Watkins identified as white (not Hispanic), and 32% as Black (not Hispanic).
Who is the most famous person named Watkins?: Tuc Watkins, American actor, followed by Tionne Watkins.
Where is the surname Watkins most common?: Wikidata records people named Watkins in the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia and 2 other countries.
What type of surname is Watkins?: Watkins is a patronymic surname, formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name.
Is the surname Watkins getting more or less common?: More common. 122,447 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 127,083 in 2010, up 3.8%.
Is Watkins also a first name?: Yes. Watkins is used as a first name as well as a surname; its first-name page has the meaning and how many babies were given it.