This is from Collins Pocket Reference: Walter/Walters Not by origin Scottish, but the basis of several Scottish names. Walter is a Germanic forename consisting of the elements wald (`rule') and heri ('army'). The Normans brought the name to these islands, and usually elided the ' l ', giving the abbreviation Wat. Patrick Walter is recorded in Kirkcudbright in 1376, but thereafter the name is fairly thin on the ground. Walterson is found on Orkney and Shetland. Watson By far the commonest of the Walter derivatives, this surname is among Scotland's top twenty; in England it has to share the honors with Watts, Watkins and Watkinson, forms not native to this country. John Watson was a citizen of Edinburgd in the late 14th century; Robert Watsoun appears in Aberdeen in 1402, Thomas Watson in Dunipace in 1426, and Sir Donald Watsone in Moray in 1493. By the 16th century the name was becoming very common in the Lowlands and in the Northeast. George Watson, born in Edinburgh in 1654 , made a fortune as a merchant banker; he endowed a hospital (orphanage) for children, which became George Watson's College in 1870. Watt Another of the Walter-derivatives this surname is common throughout Scotland but particularly in the Northeast where in some rural districts it used to flourish almost to the exclusion of all others. It was also common to Ulster, and may have been re-imported thence in recent years. Alexander Wat is recorded in Panmure in Angus in 1512, Walter Wat was in Brechin in 1586, and Pactrick Watt in Turriff in 1609. The double-diminutive version Wattie is still current in Aberdeen. James Watt, engineer, inventor and pioneer of steam power, was born in Greenock in 1736: the unit of power known as the watt was named after him. Sir Robert Watson-Watt, born in Brechin in 1892, played a major part in the development of rader. > -----Original Message----- > From: Duckettgen@aol.com [mailto:Duckettgen@aol.com] > Sent: Friday, August 07, 1998 1:09 PM > To: WATTS-L@rootsweb.com > Subject: [WATTS-L] Just WATT? > > > I know this is the WATTS mailing list but I expected to see more > WATT entrys. > After all, WATT is just a variation of WATTS. Or is it the other > way around? > My ancestors, James and John WATT came from North Ireland in the > early 1770's > and were of Scottish descent. Isn't WATTS also Scottish? > > Don Duckett, Jr. > North East, PA. >