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Watanabe Family History

Watanabe Surname 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


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Where is the Watanabe family from?

You can see how Watanabe families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Watanabe family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1880 and 1920. The most Watanabe families were found in USA in 1920. In 1891 there was 1 Watanabe family living in Lancashire. This was 100% of all the recorded Watanabe's in United Kingdom. Lancashire had the highest population of Watanabe families in 1891.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Watanabe surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.
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What did your Watanabe ancestors do for a living?

In 1939, Assistant On Poultry Farm was the top reported job for people in the United Kingdom named Watanabe. 100% of Watanabe women worked as an Assistant On Poultry Farm.

View Census Data for Watanabe | 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.

Top Female Occupations In 1939

  • Assistant On Poultry Farm
    100%

What Watanabe family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 8,000 census records available for the last name Watanabe. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Watanabe census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search UK census records for Watanabe

Passenger Lists

There are 27,000 immigration records available for the last name Watanabe. 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 Watanabe immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 4,000 military records available for the last name Watanabe. For the veterans among your Watanabe ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Watanabe military records

You've only scratched the surface of Watanabe family history

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What is the average Watanabe lifespan?

Between 1952 and 2004, in the United States, Watanabe life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1954, and highest in 2002. The average life expectancy for Watanabe in 1952 was 46, and 78 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Watanabe

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Watanabe 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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