Where Does the Watterman Surname Come From?

The spelling Watterman grew out of Waterman, an English surname with a long paper trail. The name is generally explained as “Boatman”. Watterman adds “t” to Waterman, a small change that appeared as the name was written down. Spellings drifted because names were written down by ear in parish books, tax rolls and passenger lists.

A coat of arms belongs to a particular family line rather than to everyone named Watterman, so the heraldry linked to Waterman is a starting point, not an automatic right. For the full story, order the Watterman surname pack.