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Watherspoon Family History

Watherspoon Surname Meaning

Historically, surnames evolved as a way to sort people into groups - by occupation, place of origin, clan affiliation, patronage, parentage, adoption, and even physical characteristics (like red hair). Many of the modern surnames in the dictionary can be traced back to Britain and Ireland.


Similar surnames: Witherspoon, Wotherspoon, Weatherspoon, Watterson, Waterston

Search for a relative to learn more about your family history.

Hint: Try searching for a relative alive in 1940.

Where is the Watherspoon family from?

You can see how Watherspoon families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Watherspoon family name was found in the USA, and Scotland between 1851 and 1920. The most Watherspoon families were found in USA in 1880, USA in 1920, and Scotland in 1851. In 1851 there was 1 Watherspoon family living in Lanarkshire. This was about 50% of all the recorded Watherspoon's in Scotland. Lanarkshire and 1 other county had the highest population of Watherspoon families in 1851.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Watherspoon surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.
  • 1851
  • 1861
  • 1871
  • 1881
  • 1891
  • 1901
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What did your Watherspoon ancestors do for a living?

In 1940, Farmer was the top reported job for people in the USA named Watherspoon. 100% of Watherspoon men worked as a Farmer.

View Census Data for Watherspoon | Data not to scale

*We display top occupations by gender to maintain their historical accuracy during times when men and women often performed different jobs.

United States shown, England data unavailable

Top Male Occupations In 1940

  • Farmer
    100%

What Watherspoon family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 183 census records available for the last name Watherspoon. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Watherspoon census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search UK census records for Watherspoon

Passenger Lists

There are 86 immigration records available for the last name Watherspoon. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in the UK, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

View all Watherspoon immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 41 military records available for the last name Watherspoon. For the veterans among your Watherspoon ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Watherspoon military records

You've only scratched the surface of Watherspoon family history

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What is the average Watherspoon lifespan?

Average Watherspoon life expectancy in 1972 was 81 years. This was higher than the general public life expectancy which was 70.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Watherspoon

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Watherspoon ancestors lived in harsh conditions. A short lifespan might also indicate health problems that were once prevalent in your family. The SSDI is a searchable database of more than 70 million names. You can find birthdates, death dates, addresses and more.

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