Watanabe Family History
Watanabe Name Meaning
Japanese: written 渡辺 ‘crossing’ and ‘boundary’. It is one of the ten most common surnames especially in eastern Japan. The original meaning was occupational: 渡部 Wataribe ‘ferrymen's guild’. Some bearers descend from Minamoto no Toru (822–895) a son of Emperor Saga. A common alternate reading is Watabe .
Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022