Waters is a

surname In many societies, a surname, family name, or last name is the mostly hereditary portion of one's personal name that indicates one's family. It is typically combined with a given name to form the full name of a person, although several give ...

, derived from "Wat", or "Wa'ter", an old pronunciation of Gaultier or Walter, and similarly derived from the surname Watson ("Wat's son"). The name is common from an early date in Wales and Yorkshire, as well as

Shropshire Shropshire (; abbreviated SalopAlso used officially as the name of the county from 1974–1980. The demonym for inhabitants of the county "Salopian" derives from this name.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West M ...

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

. P. H. Reaney, co author of the book ''A Dictionary of English Surnames'', said “water was the normal medieval pronunciation of Walter. Theobald Walter is also called Theobaldus filius Walteri, Theobaldus Walteri and Tebaut Water in the Feet of Fines for

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated ''Lancs'') is a ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Cumbria to the north, North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire to the east, Greater Manchester and Merseyside to the south, and the Irish Sea to ...

1212-1236.”

Statistics

In the

United States of America The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 contiguo ...

, Waters is the 429th most common surname, with an estimated 64,662 people. In

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

, Waters is the 350th most common surname, with an estimated 1,816 people. However, Waters is the 252nd most popular surname in

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

with an estimated 13,768 people, while the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

ranks Waters as the 381st most popular surname, with 16,725 people.

People surnamed Waters

Military people

* Anna May Waters (1903–1987), Canadian military nurse * Daniel Waters (Minutemen) (1731–1816), officer in the United States Navy * John K. Waters (1906–1989), former U.S.

general A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air force, air and space forces, marines or naval infantry. In some usages, the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colone ...

prisoner of war A prisoner of war (POW) is a person held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold prisoners of war for a ...

, and son-in-law of

George S. Patton George Smith Patton Jr. (11 November 1885 – 21 December 1945) was a general in the United States Army who commanded the Seventh Army in the Mediterranean Theater of World War II, then the Third Army in France and Germany after the Alli ...

* Terence Edward Waters (1929–1951), British soldier awarded the George Cross

Performers

Crystal Waters Crystal Waters (born November 19, 1961) is an American house music, house and dance music singer and songwriter, best known for her 1990s dance hits "Gypsy Woman (Crystal Waters song), Gypsy Woman", "100% Pure Love", and 2007's "Destination Cal ...

(born 1964), American singer and songwriter * David Waters (actor) (born 1975), Australian actor * Derek Waters (born 1979), American actor, comedian, screenwriter, producer and director * Dina Waters (born 1965), American actress * Doris Ethel Waters, better known as half of the comedy duo

Gert and Daisy Florence Elsie Waters (19 August 1893–14 June 1990) and her sister Doris Ethel Waters (20 December 1899–18 August 1978) were English comic actresses and singers who performed as a double act. They are remembered for creating the co ...

Ethel Waters Ethel Waters (October 31, 1896 – September 1, 1977) was an American singer and actress. Waters frequently performed jazz, swing, and pop music on the Broadway stage and in concerts. She began her career in the 1920s singing blues. Her no ...

(1896–1977), American singer and actress * Florence Elsie Waters, better known as half of the comedy duo

* Horace John Waters, the birth name of actor Jack Warner *

Jeff Waters Jeff Waters (born February 13, 1966) is a Canadian guitarist and the founder, bandleader and producer of the metal band Annihilator. He was born in Ontario and resides in the UK. Waters has owned Watersound Studios since 1994 (where it was i ...

(born 1966), Canadian guitarist *

John Waters (actor) John Waters (born 1948) is an English-born Australian film, theatre and television actor, singer, guitarist, songwriter, and musician. He is the son of Scottish-born British actor Russell Waters. John Waters has been in the industry for over 50 ...

(born 1948), Australian actor * McKinley Morganfield better known as

Muddy Waters McKinley Morganfield (April 4, 1913April 30, 1983), better known as Muddy Waters, was an American blues singer-songwriter and musician who was an important figure in the post-World War II blues scene, and is often cited as the "father of moder ...

(1913–1983), American blues singer-songwriter and musician * Rhys Waters (born 1984), Welsh Canadian comedian, producer and director * Latanza Waters, house music singer *

Roger Waters George Roger Waters (born 6 September 1943) is an English musician and singer-songwriter. In 1965, he co-founded the rock band Pink Floyd as the bassist. Following the departure of the group's main songwriter Syd Barrett in 1968, Waters became ...

(born 1943), English rock bassist, vocalist and lyricist, co-founder of

Pink Floyd Pink Floyd are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1965. Gaining an early following as one of the first British psychedelic music, psychedelic groups, they were distinguished by their extended compositions, sonic experiments ...

Russell Waters Russell Waters (10 June 1908 – 19 August 1982) was a British film actor. Waters was educated at Hutchesons' Grammar School, Glasgow and the University of Glasgow. He began acting with the Old English Comedy and Shakespeare Company then app ...

(1908–1982), Scottish film actor

Politicians

* Anne Marie Waters (born 1977), founder of the far-right

For Britain The For Britain Movement was a minor far-right political party in the United Kingdom, founded by the anti-Islam and "counter-jihad" activist Anne Marie Waters after she was defeated in the 2017 UK Independence Party leadership election. H ...

party * Charles A. Waters (1892–1972), American politician and judge * Chea Waters Evans, American politician from Vermont * Dan Waters, politician in Ontario, Canada *

Larissa Waters Larissa Joy Waters (born 8 February 1977) is an Australian politician and lawyer who is currently serving as the Leaders of the Australian Greens, leader of the Australian Greens since May 2025. She has also served as a Senator for Queensland fr ...

(born 1977), Australian politician *

Maxine Waters Maxine Moore Waters (née Carr; born August 15, 1938) is an American politician serving as the United States House of Representatives, U.S. representative for since 1991. The district, numbered as the California's 29th congressional district, ...

(born 1938), Democratic member of the U.S. House of Representatives * Somerset R. Waters (1829–1919), American politician from Maryland *

Stanley Waters Stanley Charles Waters (June 14, 1920 – September 25, 1991) was a Canadian lieutenant-general and politician. Appointed to his Senate seat following a non-binding provincial Senate election, he has been called Canada's "first elected senator" ...

(1920–1991), Canadian Senator

Sportspeople

* Anthony Waters (born 1985), American football linebacker * Beau Waters (born 1986), Australian rules footballer * Ben Waters (1904–1962), New Zealand rower * Brian Waters (born 1977), American football guard * Carole Waters, retired Australian basketball player * Dominic Waters (born 1986), American basketball player in the

Israel Basketball Premier League Ligat HaAl (, lit., ''Supreme League or Premier League''), or the Israeli Basketball Premier League, is a professional basketball league in Israel and the highest level of basketball in the country. The league's name is abbreviated as either BSL ...

* Drew Waters (born 1998), American professional baseball player * Fraser Waters (born 1976), South African footballer * Guy Waters (born 1964), Australian boxer *

Harry Waters Harry William Waters (born 16 November 1976), sometimes known as Hal Waters, a British piano and Hammond organ player, associated with progressive rock and jazz. Life Waters is the son of songwriter and lyricist Roger Waters, who co-founded the ...

(born 1976), British piano and Hammond organ player * Huw Waters (born 1986), Welsh cricketer * Jake Waters (born 1992), American football player and coach * Joseph Waters (rugby union) (1882–1954), Scottish rugby union player *

Katarina Waters Katarina Leigh Waters (born 10 November 1980) is a German-born English American retired professional wrestler and actress. She is best known for her time with Impact Wrestling under the ring names Katarina or Winter and for her time in WWE under ...

(born 1980), English wrestler *

Tremont Waters Tremont Waters (born January 10, 1998) is an American-Puerto Rican professional basketball player who last played for the Shanghai Sharks of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA). He played college basketball for the LSU Tigers, and was draft ...

(born 1998), American basketball player

Others

* Aaron C. Waters (1905–1991), American geologist * Allan Waters (1921–2005), Canadian businessman * Billie Waters (1896–1979), English artist *

Craig Waters Craig Waters (born in 1956) is a former public information officer who served as communications director for the Florida Supreme Court in Tallahassee from June 1, 1996, to February 28, 2022. In 1994, then-Chief Justice Gerald Kogan appointed W ...

(born 1956), public information officer of the Florida Supreme Court *

Daniel Waters (screenwriter) Daniel Waters (born November 10, 1962) is an American screenwriter and film director. He is the older brother of director Mark Waters. Early life Waters was born in Cleveland, Ohio and raised in South Bend, Indiana. In high school, Waters wrote ...

(born 1962), American screenwriter and film director, brother of Mark S. Waters * David Roland Waters (1947–2003), the killer of the American activist Madalyn Murray O'Hair *

James Waters James may refer to: People * James (given name) * James (surname) * James (musician), aka Faruq Mahfuz Anam James, (born 1964), Bollywood musician * James, brother of Jesus * King James (disambiguation), various kings named James * Prince James ...

, Chairman of CHUM Limited * John Waters (disambiguation) **

John Waters (columnist) John Augustine Waters (born 28 May 1955) is a far-right Irish columnist, political candidate and author. He started his career with music and politics magazine, Hot Press, and also wrote for the Sunday Tribune newspaper. He later edited the so ...

(born 1955), Irish columnist ** John S. Waters (1893–1965), American filmmaker who directed films from 1916 until 1958 ** John Samuel Waters Jr. (born 1946), American filmmaker * Joseph Waters(born 1952), American classical composer *

Keith Waters Keith Waters (born 1962 in Kent, England) is a British animator who is best known for his work in the field of computer facial animation. He has received international awards from Parigraph, the National Computer Graphics Association and the Comp ...

(born 1962), pioneer in facial animation * Lesley Waters (born 1961), English celebrity chef *

Lou Waters Lou Waters (born July 7, 1938) is an American retired television journalist. He was one of the original anchors of CNN, an American cable news channel when it first aired in the summer of 1980 and remained one of the network's primary anchors unti ...

(born 1938), American television journalist *

Margaret Waters Margaret Waters (1835–1870), otherwise known as Willis, was an English murderer hanged by executioner William Calcraft on 11 October 1870 at Horsemonger Lane Gaol (also known as Surrey County Gaol) in London. Waters was born in 1835 and lived ...

(1835–1870), English murderer *

Mark Waters Mark Stephen Waters (born June 30, 1964) is an American director. Early life Waters was raised in South Bend, Indiana. He studied at the University of Pennsylvania in theatre arts before studying at the American Film Institute. When studying a ...

(born 1964), American film director * Mathew Waters (sound engineer), American sound engineer * Miriam Van Waters (1887–1974), American feminist social worker * Ralph M. Waters (1883–1979), American anesthesiologist * Richard Waters (1935–2013), American artist, inventor of Waterphone *

Sarah Waters Sarah Ann Waters (born 21 July 1966) is a Welsh novelist. She is best known for her novels set in Victorian society and featuring lesbian protagonists, such as '' Tipping the Velvet'' and '' Fingersmith''. Life and education Early life Sara ...

(born 1966), Welsh novelist * T. A. Waters (1938–1998), American writer

People with the given name Waters

* Waters W. Braman (1840–1893), New York politician

References

{{surname English-language surnames Patronymic surnames