How common is the surname Watts?

89,649 people in the United States had the surname Watts in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 3,444 Americans. It ranked 348th of 162,253 surnames.

Who is the most famous person named Watts?

Charlie Watts, British drummer (1941–2021), followed by Alan Watts.

Where is the surname Watts most common?

Wikidata records people named Watts in the United States, Australia and the United Kingdom.

Is the surname Watts getting more or less common?

More common. 86,228 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 89,649 in 2010, up 4.0%.

Is Watts also a first name?

Yes. Watts 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 Watts

A patronymic surname, carried by 89,649 people in the United States.

1 syllable Soundex W320 Also a first name

Every surname held by 100 or more people in the 2010 US Census, most common on the left (162,253 in all). Watts is more common than 99.8% of them.

Origin

Patronymic surname from the Middle English given name Wat, derived from Walter, equivalent to Watt + -s.

Watts 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 89,649 people named Watts in the United States in 2010, about 1 in every 3,444 Americans. That is up 4.0% since 2000, when the Census counted 86,228.

#348

rank among US surnames

89,649

people in 2010

per 100,000 Americans

+4%

change since 2000 (was #324)

Rank	Surname	People	1 in
#339	Gregory	91,384	3,379
#340	Carrillo	91,129	3,388
#341	Sutton	90,964	3,394
#342	Fleming	90,677	3,405
#343	Rhodes	90,670	3,405
#344	Shelton	90,517	3,411
#345	Schwartz	90,071	3,428

Who is named Watts

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

69% of people named Watts identified as white (not Hispanic), 26% as Black (not Hispanic) and 2.4% as two or more races.

White (not Hispanic) 69%
Black (not Hispanic) 26%
Two or more races 2.4%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 2.3%
American Indian and Alaska Native 0.8%
Asian and Pacific Islander 0.5%

Compare: most common surnames among white Americans.

Famous Wattss

22 notable people on Wikidata, most written-about first

Charlie Watts
British drummer (1941–2021)
Alan Watts
British American author and lecturer (1915–1973)
Jon Watts
American film director, producer and screenwriter, born 1981
Quincy Watts
Athletics competitor, sprinter, 400 metres runner
Slick Watts
American basketball player (1951–2025)
André Watts
American pianist (1946–2023)
Thomas H. Watts
American politician (1819-1892)
Reggie Watts
American singer, musician and comedian, born 1972
Duncan J. Watts
Australian physicist and sociologist, born 1971
Ernie Watts
American jazz musician, born 1945
Jeff "Tain" Watts
American musician, born 1960
Bill Watts
American professional wrestler and wrestling promoter, born 1939

Notable Wattss come mostly from the United States (17), Australia (3) and the United Kingdom (2).

Spellings and sound-alikes

Useful when a record has your ancestor under another spelling

Surnames that sound like Watts

Watts has the Soundex code W320, the code US census indexes have used since the 1930s. Every surname with code W320.

Questions

Where does the surname Watts come from?: Patronymic surname from the Middle English given name Wat, derived from Walter, equivalent to Watt + -s.
How common is the surname Watts?: 89,649 people in the United States had the surname Watts in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 3,444 Americans. It ranked 348th of 162,253 surnames.
What ethnicity is the surname Watts?: In the 2010 Census, 69% of people named Watts identified as white (not Hispanic), and 26% as Black (not Hispanic).
Who is the most famous person named Watts?: Charlie Watts, British drummer (1941–2021), followed by Alan Watts.
Where is the surname Watts most common?: Wikidata records people named Watts in the United States, Australia and the United Kingdom.
What type of surname is Watts?: Watts is a patronymic surname, formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name.
Is the surname Watts getting more or less common?: More common. 86,228 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 89,649 in 2010, up 4.0%.
Is Watts also a first name?: Yes. Watts 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.