This surname is derived from the name of an ancestor. the son of Walter.' Middle English Water, Old French Wauter and Watier.

'My name is Walter Whitmore. How now! why start'st thou? what! doth death affright? Suffolk. Thy name affrights me, in whose sound is death. A cunning man did calculate my birth, And told me that by Water I should die.': 2 Henry VI, Act iv. sc. 1.

'The account of Wattare Taylor and Wyllyam Partrynge, benge churchewardens': Churchwardens Accounts, Ludlow, 1541, Cam. Soc.

Wauter de Cornwaille, 1313. Writs of Parliament.

Alicia Wartson, 1379: Poll Tax of Yorkshire.

Johannes Wauterson, 1379: ibid.

John Waterson, Yorkshire: Deposition from York Castle (Surtees Society).

1579- Judith, d. of Water Arksone, stranger: St. Dionis Backchurch (London).

1563. Baptised — William, son of Water Lancaster: St. Antholin (London).

— Buried — Water Right, servant to Richard Clarke: ibid.

1588. Margaret Watterson, of Cartmell: Lancashire Wills at Richmond.

Married — Edward Waterson and Jane Harrison: St. Michael, Cornhill.

A form of Walter, which see, ME. Water, OF. Wauler.

"Nout Wiliam ne Water."

Ancrene Riwle, p. 340.

John Water was tenant of Colthrop in the barony of Newlands, 1376 (RHM., II, p. 16) Patrick Watter in Aberdeen, to whom a payment was made in 1598, may be the Patrick Watter admitted burgess of the burth, 1604 (SCM., V, p. 125; NSCM., I, p. 99 Adam Watter in Paxtoune, 1667 (Lauder). As forename: Schir Water Ra, 1415.

Forms of 'Walters,' 'son of Walter.' which see. Alison Walters in Fishweicke, 1676 (Lauder). Sergeant-Major Watters distinguished himself in the first Great War and was promoted to captain.

From residence near some large pond, river, or the like. In the XIII. and XIV. centuries, the name was written Atte-Water, By-the-Water, &c.

In some dialects, the word water is applied to lakes and rivers, as Ullswater, Derwent-water, Black-water. Upon the adoption of surnames by the common people, a person who resided near such a place would be called William or John Atte-Water, still retained in Attwater; but on the omission of the preposition in the XV. century, the name was pluralized to Waters. The latinizations are De Aqua and Ad Aquam. See Water.

Local. A name given to one who navigated the waters, or resided near them.

Corrupted from the name Walter, Walters. It may also sometimes be from at-the-water.

Contracted from Mac Walter, ‘Walter's Son'.

‘Thomas MacWalter, constable of Bunfinn, ' a.d. 1308.

In Rushen and Arbory half the population is called either Qualtrough or Watterson, and in Malew onefourth.

A corruption of Walterson, is a translation of MacWalter. It seems probable that the English-speaking MacWalters would adopt this name, whilst the Celtic would consent to have their name con­tracted into Qualtrqugh. We find Water as a corrup­tion of Walter in England. Thus in the churchwardens’ books at Ludlow we have 'The account of Wattare Taylor and Wyllyam Partynge, beynge churchwardens, in the xxxii yere of the rayne of Kyng Henry the eighth a.d. 1541’; and in the account of Suffolk's death in Shakespeare’s Henry VI., the murderer says: 'My name is Walter Whitmore, How now! Why start’st thou? What doth death affright! Suffolk. Thy name affrights me, in whose sound is death.

A cunning man did calculate my birth, And told me that by Water I should die.' Some think that Watterson is a translation of Mac-yn-ushtey, 'Water-Son', but this is very doubtful. The only entry in the Registers of such a name is at Malew in 1669, when it states distinctly that 'William Macynustey' was 'an Irishman.’ Kodere was formerly used as a synonym for Watter­son, members of the same family being called indifferently by one name or the other, Kodere, however, is not found in the Parish Registers, which looks as if it had been used merely as a nickname. Professor Rhys in­geniously conjectures that Kodere may be a contraction of MacOtter, and that Watterson is Otterson.

Watterson is as common in the southern parishes as Qualtrough.