Waterman
An English surname that usually meant a boatman, ferryman, or carrier of water.
The #2,947 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 25,355 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Waterman is built from Old English water and man, literally “water man.” In surname use, it most often referred to a ferryman, boatman, or water carrier. Some older writers also interpreted it more loosely as a man associated with water or with a place-name containing water.
History
The name appears in medieval English records and was common enough to be explained by early surname scholars as an occupational name. It is also found in forms like Atwater and related surnames, which show how local and occupational bynames could overlap. In later English usage, Waterman remained a straightforward transparent surname and was carried to North America and other English-speaking regions.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
A similar-looking interpretation in old surname books could confuse Waterman with Walter’s man, but the occupational explanation is the standard one for the surname.
From the historical record
“= O.E. ledh, meadow,] WATERMAN (Eng.) i Boatman, Ferryman lO.E. wceter -\-mann] Adam le Wateiman.—Hund. Soils. 2 occ. for the M.E. Wa{l)terman, i.e. Wa(l)ter's Man (-Servant) [v. Walter, and cp. Waters]”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)