Meaning & History
Watt is an English surname derived from the Middle English given name Wat or Watt, a diminutive of the name Walter. The root name Walter comes from the Germanic Waltheri, meaning "power of the army", from the elements walt "power, authority" and heri "army". In medieval German tales, notably Ekkehard of Saint Gall's Waltharius, Walter of Aquitaine is a heroic king of the Visigoths. The name was also borne by an 11th-century French saint, Walter of Pontoise, and was brought to England by the Normans, where it replaced the Old English cognate Wealdhere.
The surname Watt and its variants—such as Watkins, Watson, and Walters —originated as patronymic or diminutive forms of Walter. In other languages, equivalent surnames include Dutch Wouters and Wauters, Flemish Wuyts, French Gauthier and Gautier.
Notable Bearers
The most famous bearer of the surname is James Watt (1736–1819), the Scottish inventor and mechanical engineer whose improvements to the Newcomen steam engine in 1776 became fundamental to the Industrial Revolution. The SI unit of power, the watt, is named in his honor. Other notable individuals with the surname Watt include Canadian hockey player Tommy Watt and British artist James McNeill Whistler (whose birth surname was Whistler, but his mother's maiden name was Watt).
Etymology
The given name Wat (sometimes spelled Watt) was a common medieval short form of Walter (as in the given name of Wat Tyler, leader of the English Peasants' Revolt of 1381). The surname Watt thus evolved as a patronymic, meaning "son of Wat" or "the servant of Wat."
Distribution
The surname Watt is most common in Scotland and northern England, particularly in areas historically associated with the Scottish Lowlands. It also appears in English-speaking countries such as the United States, Canada, and Australia.
- Meaning: patronymic from the Middle English diminutive of Walter
- Origin: English, Scottish
- Type: surname
- Usage regions: English-speaking world, especially Scotland and England
Related Names
Sources: Wikipedia — Watt