How common is the surname Watt?

15,211 people in the United States had the surname Watt in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 20,298 Americans. It ranked 2,387th of 162,253 surnames.

Who is the most famous person named Watt?

James Watt, British engineer (1736–1819), followed by Mitchell Watt.

Where is the surname Watt most common?

Wikidata records people named Watt in the United States, Australia and Scotland and 1 other country.

Is the surname Watt getting more or less common?

More common. 14,872 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 15,211 in 2010, up 2.3%.

Is Watt also a first name?

Yes. Watt 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 Watt

A patronymic surname, carried by 15,211 people in the United States.

1 syllable Soundex W300

Every surname held by 100 or more people in the 2010 US Census, most common on the left (162,253 in all). Watt is more common than 98.5% of them.

Origin

An English and Scottish surname originating as a patronymic.

Watt 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 15,211 people named Watt in the United States in 2010, about 1 in every 20,298 Americans. That is up 2.3% since 2000, when the Census counted 14,872.

#2,387

rank among US surnames

15,211

people in 2010

5.2

per 100,000 Americans

+2.3%

change since 2000 (was #2,246)

Rank	Surname	People	1 in
#2,378	Kellogg	15,317	20,157
#2,379	Horvath	15,302	20,177
#2,380	Whitmore	15,296	20,185
#2,381	Bianco	15,278	20,209
#2,382	Jack	15,256	20,238
#2,383	Pantoja	15,249	20,247
#2,384	Negrete	15,245	20,252

Who is named Watt

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

79% of people named Watt identified as white (not Hispanic), 14% as Black (not Hispanic) and 2.6% as Hispanic or Latino (any race).

White (not Hispanic) 79%
Black (not Hispanic) 14%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 2.6%
Two or more races 2.2%
Asian and Pacific Islander 1.4%
American Indian and Alaska Native 1.0%

Compare: most common surnames among white Americans.

Famous Watts

11 notable people on Wikidata, most written-about first

James Watt
British engineer (1736–1819)
Mitchell Watt
Australian track and field athlete, born 1988
Mike Watt
American musician (born 1957)
J. J. Watt
American football player (born 1989)
Kathy Watt
Australian cyclist, born 1964
Andrew Watt
American record producer and songwriter (born 1990)
T. J. Watt
American football player (born 1994)
Nate Watt
American film director (1889–1968)
Mel Watt
American politician, born 1945
Kealia Watt
American soccer player, born 1992
Elliot Watt
Association football player (born 2000)

Notable Watts come mostly from the United States (7), Australia (2) and Scotland (1).

Spellings and sound-alikes

Useful when a record has your ancestor under another spelling

Variant spellings

Watts

Surnames that sound like Watt

Watt has the Soundex code W300, the code US census indexes have used since the 1930s. Every surname with code W300.

Questions

How common is the surname Watt?: 15,211 people in the United States had the surname Watt in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 20,298 Americans. It ranked 2,387th of 162,253 surnames.
What ethnicity is the surname Watt?: In the 2010 Census, 79% of people named Watt identified as white (not Hispanic), and 14% as Black (not Hispanic).
Who is the most famous person named Watt?: James Watt, British engineer (1736–1819), followed by Mitchell Watt.
Where is the surname Watt most common?: Wikidata records people named Watt in the United States, Australia and Scotland and 1 other country.
What type of surname is Watt?: Watt is a patronymic surname, formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name.
Is the surname Watt getting more or less common?: More common. 14,872 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 15,211 in 2010, up 2.3%.
What are other spellings of Watt?: Watts.
Is Watt also a first name?: Yes. Watt 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.