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Show ContentsWalters History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

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Etymology of Walters

What does the name Walters mean?

The name Walters was brought to England by the Normans when they conquered the country in 1066. It comes from the Germanic personal name Walter. The name is composed of the elements wald, meaning rule and heri, meaning army. 1 2

As far as the Watters variant is concerned, "upon the adoption of surnames by the common people, a person who resided near such a place would be called William or John Atte-Water, still retained in Attwater; but on the omission of the preposition in the XV. century, the name was pluralized to Waters. " 3

"Water was the normal medieval pronunciation of Walter." 4

Early Origins of the Walters family

The surname Walters was first found in Cambridgeshire where they held a family seat from early times as Lords of the manor or Crowhurst.

Walter of Lorraine (d. 1079), was Bishop of Hereford, a native of Lotharingia or Lorraine, was chaplain of Edith or Eadgyth (d. 1075), the Confessor's queen, and as a reward of his industry was appointed to the bishopric of Hereford at Christmas 1060. 5

Walter of Palermo (fl. 1170), was Archbishop of Palermo, primate and chancellor of Sicily, and was sent to Sicily by Henry II of England as an instructor for young William II of Sicily. 5

Hubert Walter (c.1160-1205) was Archbishop of Canterbury, and Lord Chancellor. Weeton in Lancashire was an early home of the family. "This place, in Domesday Book called Widetun, was early in the family of Walter." 6

"The church [of Woolvercott in Lancashire], situated on the bank of the Isis, has a sepulchral chapel on the north side, containing a stately monument to the family of Walter, of whom David Walter was High Sheriff of the county, and commanded a regiment of horse under Charles I. in the parliamentary war." 6

About the same time, Greenalgh with Thistleton, again in Lancashire was home to another branch of the family. It was here that the manor of Greenalgh-cum-Thistleton was held in the reign of Charles I. 6

As mentioned above, the surnames Walter and Watter were interchangeable so accordingly early rolls had a mixture of phonetic entries, both as a forename and surname.

The first record for the family was found in 1066 where the ancient Latin form of the name was listed, Walterusepiscopus. This entry was made at the time of the Conquest. Twenty years later, Robertus filius Walterii, Galterii was listed in the Domesday Book of 1086. Later Galterus le Lingedraper was listed at Oseney, Oxfordshire in 1210 and Petrus Walterus was listed at Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk in 1182. The Pipe Rolls for 1191 in Suffolk included an entry for Petrus Walteri and Geoffrey Walter was listed in the Subsidy Rolls for Sussex in 1296. 4

Waterus de Cantelupo was listed in Lincolnshire c. 1135; Walterus, Walterus filius Herberti was similarly listed in Lincolnshire; John Watter was found in the Curia Regis Rolls for Warwickshire in 1214; Richard Wauter and Roger Watter were found in the Subsidy Rolls for Worcestershire in 1275; Hugh Water was found in the Assize Rolls for Northumberland in 1279; Alice Waters in the Subsidy Rolls for Suffolk in 1327; and John Wauters in Warwickshire in 1348. 4

Early History of the Walters family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Walters research. Another 144 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1189, 1412, 1566, 1604, 1611, 1628, 1629, 1630, 1675, 1678, 1847 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Walters History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Walters Spelling Variations

Before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago, spelling variations of names were a common occurrence. Elements of Latin, Norman French and other languages became incorporated into English throughout the Middle Ages, and name spellings changed even among the literate. The variations of the surname Walters include Walter, Walters, Watter, Watters, Walthew, Wattis and others.

Early Notables of the Walters family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was John Walter or FitzWalter (d. 1412?), an early astrologer, educated at Winchester and Oxford. He died at Winchester, and was buried there about 1412. 5Sir John Walter (1566-1630), was an English judge, second son of Edmund Walter of Ludlow, Shropshire. 5Henry...
Another 48 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Walters Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Walters World Ranking

In the United States, the name Walters is the 269th most popular surname with an estimated 99,480 people with that name. 7 However, in Canada, the name Walters is ranked the 679th most popular surname with an estimated 7,675 people with that name. 8 And in Newfoundland, Canada, the name Walters is the 204th popular surname with an estimated 205 people with that name. 9 Australia ranks Walters as 254th with 13,607 people. 10 New Zealand ranks Walters as 311st with 1,952 people. 11 The United Kingdom ranks Walters as 258th with 23,217 people. 12 South Africa ranks Walters as 944th with 7,289 people. 13

Migration of the Walters family to Ireland

Some of the Walters family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 50 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Walters migration to the United States +

In England at this time, the uncertainty of the political and religious environment of the time caused many families to board ships for distant British colonies in the hopes of finding land and opportunity, and escaping persecution. The voyages were expensive, crowded, and difficult, though, and many arrived in North America sick, starved, and destitute. Those who did make it, however, were greeted with greater opportunities and freedoms that they could have experienced at home. Many of those families went on to make important contributions to the young nations in which they settled. Early immigration records have shown some of the first Walterss to arrive on North American shores:

Walters Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • William Walters, aged 27, who arrived in Virginia in 1619 aboard the ship "Bona Nova"
  • Richard Walters, who settled in Salem Massachusetts in 1630
  • Joane Walters, who arrived in Virginia in 1637 14
  • Nathanl Walters, who arrived in Virginia in 1652 14
  • Humphrey Walters, who landed in Maryland in 1661 14
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Walters Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Henry Walters, who landed in Virginia in 1721 14
  • Christoph Walters, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1754 14
  • Abel Walters, who settled in America in 1766
  • Jonah Walters, who landed in Mississippi in 1799 14
Walters Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Jacob Walters, who arrived in New York in 1832 14
  • Joh Heinr Walters, who landed in America in 1837 14
  • Abraham Walters, who settled in Indiana sometime between 1838 and 1849
  • August Walters, aged 35, who landed in Baltimore, Maryland in 1848 14
  • Conrad Walters, aged 13, who arrived in Baltimore, Maryland in 1848 14
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Walters Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
  • Mathias Walters, who arrived in Mobile, Ala in 1900 14
  • Mrs. Abigall Walters, aged 26, British settler who arrived in New York aboard the ship "Cynosure" in 1863
  • Mr. Robert Walters, aged 26, British settler who arrived in New York aboard the ship "Cynosure" in 1863
  • Mr. Robert Walters, Infant, British settler who arrived in New York aboard the ship "Cynosure" in 1863

Walters migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Walters Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
  • William Walters, a fisherman, settled in Trinity, Newfoundland, in 1757 15
Walters Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
  • Henry Walters was a gun-maker of St. John's, Newfoundland in 1806 15
  • Jesse Walters, who landed in Canada in 1831
  • Mr. William Walters, (b. 1815), aged 40, English miner, from Bere Alston, Devon, England, UK departing from Falmouth destined for Quebec, Canada aboard the ship "Barque John" on 3rd May 1855 which sank after striking the reef, he survived the sinking 16
  • Mrs. Mary Walters, (b. 1815), aged 40, English settler, from Bere Alston, Devon, England, UK departing from Falmouth destined for Quebec, Canada aboard the ship "Barque John" on 3rd May 1855 which sank after striking the reef, she survived the sinking 16
  • Mr. Richard Walters, (b. 1841), aged 14, English miner, from Bere Alston, Devon, England, UK departing from Falmouth destined for Quebec, Canada aboard the ship "Barque John" on 3rd May 1855 which sank after striking the reef, he survived the sinking 16
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Walters migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Walters Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mr. Samuel Walters, English convict who was convicted in Stafford, Staffordshire, England for life, transported aboard the "Duke of Portland" in January 1807, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 17
  • Mr. Benjamin Walters, (b. 1791), aged 22, English labourer who was convicted in Staffordshire, England for 14 years for robbery, transported aboard the "Earl Spencer" in May 1813, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, he died in 1859 18
  • Mr. William Walters, English convict who was convicted in Hereford, Herefordshire, England for life, transported aboard the "Baring" in April 1815, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 19
  • Richard Walters, English convict from Staffordshire, who was transported aboard the "Almorah" on April 1817, settling in New South Wales, Australia 20
  • Mr. George Walters, Welsh convict who was convicted in Monmouth, Monmouthshire, Wales for life, transported aboard the "Caledonia" in 19th June 1822, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 21
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Walters migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Walters Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • Thomas Walters, who landed in Auckland, New Zealand in 1840
  • William Walters, who landed in Auckland, New Zealand in 1840
  • George Walters, who landed in Auckland, New Zealand in 1840
  • Edward Walters, who landed in Papatoitoi, New Zealand in 1840
  • Richard Walters, who landed in Wellington, New Zealand in 1844
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Walters migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 22
Walters Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century
  • Wm Walters, (b. 1612), aged 22, British settler travelling from Gravesend, UK aboard the ship "Hopewell" arriving in Barbados on 17th February 1634 14
  • Mr. William Walters, aged 32, British settler travelling from Gravesend, UK aboard the ship "Hopewell" arriving in Barbados on 17th February 1634 14
  • Mr. William Walters, (b. 1609), aged 26, British settler travelling aboard the ship "Expedition" arriving in Barbados in 1636 23

Contemporary Notables of the name Walters (post 1700) +

  • Barbara Jill Walters (1929-2022), American three-time Daytime Emmy Award winning, twenty-two-time nominated broadcast journalist and author, inducted into the Television Hall of Fame in 1989
  • Dennis Walters (b. 1949), American trick-shot golfer, he won the Bob Jones Award in 2018 and was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame with the class of 2019
  • Daniel Gene "Dan" Walters (1966-2020), American Major League Baseball catcher for the San Diego Padres in the 1992 and 1993 seasons
  • Rita Deloris White Walters (1930-2020), American politician who served on the Board of Library Commissioners for the Los Angeles Public Library
  • Bill Walters (1943-2013), American lawyer, businessman, and politician
  • Jamie Walters (b. 1969), American actor, singer, and record producer
  • David Lee Walters (b. 1951), American Governor of Oklahoma from 1991 to 1995
  • Charles Walters (1911-1982), American director and choreographer
  • Vernon A. Walters (1917-2002), United States Army officer, diplomat and recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom
  • Donald Ralph Walters (1969-2003), United States Army Quartermaster Corps Sergeant, recipient of the Silver Star
  • ... (Another 22 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
HMS Hood
  • Mr. Douglas T Walters (b. 1919), English Assistant Cook (S) serving for the Royal Navy from Riddings, Derbyshire, England, who sailed into battle and died in the HMS Hood sinking 24
HMS Prince of Wales
  • Mr. Roy Morgan Walters, British Able Seaman, who sailed into battle on the HMS Prince of Wales (1941) and died in the sinking 25
Prince of Wales colliery
  • Mr. Henry Walters (b. 1860), Welsh coal miner who was working at the Prince of Wales colliery in Abercarn, Wales on the 11th September 1878 when there was a coal mine explosion; he died 26
  • Mr. Thomas Walters (b. 1853), Welsh coal miner who was working at the Prince of Wales Colliery in Abercarn, Wales on the 11th September 1878 when there was a coal mine explosion; he died 26
  • Mr. Thomas Walters (b. 1812), Welsh coal miner who was working at the Prince of Wales Colliery in Abercarn, Wales on the 11th September 1878 when there was a coal mine explosion; he died 26
  • Mr. Thomas Walters (b. 1840), Welsh coal miner who was working at the Prince of Wales Colliery in Abercarn, Wales on the 11th September 1878 when there was a coal mine explosion; he died 26
Senghenydd colliery
  • Mr. Frederick Walters (b. 1893), Welsh coal miner from Caerphilly, Wales who was working at the Senghenydd colliery when there was an explosion on the 14th October 1913; he died 27
SS Caribou
  • Mr. Nathan Walters (b. 1903), Newfoundland passenger from Isle auz Morts, Newfoundland and Labrador was travelling aboard the railway ferry "SS Caribou" when it was struck by a German submarine torpedo on 14th October 1942, the most significant sinking in Canadian waters at that time, he survived the sinking
USS Arizona
  • Mr. William Spurgeon Walters Jr., American Fire Controlman Third Class from New Mexico, USA working aboard the ship "USS Arizona" when she sunk during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on 7th December 1941, he died in the sinking 28
  • Mr. Clarence Arthur Walters, American Seaman Second Class from California, USA working aboard the ship "USS Arizona" when she sunk during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on 7th December 1941, he died in the sinking 28
USS Indianapolis
  • Donald Henry Walters, American crew member on board the ship "USS Indianapolis" when she was on a top secret trip for the first nuclear weapon, she was sunk by Japanese Navy on 30th July 1945, he was one of the many who were killed in the sinking due to exposure, dehydration, saltwater poisoning and shark attacks 29
  1. Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
  2. Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
  3. Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
  4. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  5. Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
  6. Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
  7. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  8. "Surnames Meanings, Origins & Distribution Maps - Forebears." Forebears, https://forebears.io/surnames
  9. The order of Common Surnames in 1955 in Newfoundland retrieved on 20th October 2021 (retrieved from Family Names of the Island of Newfoundland by E.R. Seary corrected edition ISBN 0-7735-1782-0)
  10. "Most Common Last Names in Australia." Forebears, https://forebears.io/australia/surnames
  11. "Most Common Last Names in New Zealand." Forebears, https://forebears.io/new-zealand/surnames
  12. "UK surname ranking." UK Surname map, https://www.surnamemap.eu/unitedkingdom/surnames_ranking.php?p=10
  13. "Most Common Last Names in South Africa." Forebears, https://forebears.io/south-africa/surnames
  14. Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
  15. Seary E.R., Family Names of the Island of Newfoundland, Montreal: McGill's-Queen's Universtity Press 1998 ISBN 0-7735-1782-0
  16. Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 3rd May 2018). Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/wreck_of_emigrant_ship_john_1855.pdf
  17. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 28th July 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/duke-of-portland
  18. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 8th September 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/earl-spencer
  19. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 16th September 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/baring
  20. State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2016, October 27) Almorah voyage to New South Wales, Australia in 1817 with 180 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/almorah/1817
  21. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 30th November 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/caledonia
  22. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
  23. Pilgrim Ship Lists Early 1600's retrieved 29th September 2021. Retrieved from https://www.packrat-pro.com/ships/shiplist.htm
  24. H.M.S. Hood Association-Battle Cruiser Hood: Crew Information - H.M.S. Hood Rolls of Honour, Men Lost in the Sinking of H.M.S. Hood, 24th May 1941. (Retrieved 2016, July 15) . Retrieved from http://www.hmshood.com/crew/memorial/roh_24may41.htm
  25. HMS Prince of Wales Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listprincecrew.html
  26. Entombed in flood and flame (retrieved 3rd August 2021). Retrieved from https://web.archive.org/web/20120603025705/http://www.crosskeys.me.uk/history/prince.htm
  27. Universal Colliery Senghenydd 1913 disaster retrieved 21st September 2019, retrieved from http://www.welshcoalmines.co.uk/deathrolls/SenghenyddDead1913.htm
  28. Pearl Harbour: USS Arizona Casualties List Pearl Harbour December 7, 1941. (Retrieved 2018, July 31st). Retrieved from http://pearl-harbor.com/arizona/casualtylist.html
  29. Final Crew List, retrieved 2021, October 30th Retrieved from https://www.ussindianapolis.com/final-crew

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