WATSON

The family history of the ancient name Watson was found in the irishsurnames.com archives. Watson is a baptismal name meaning 'son of Walter', a very old Norman personal name popular in the thirteenth century. Variants include Watt, Watts and Wattson. This name is of Anglo-Saxon descent spreading to the Celtic countries of Ireland, Scotland and Wales in early times and is found in many mediaeval manuscripts throughout the above islands. Examples of such are a William Watts, County Oxfordshire, who was recorded in the 'Hundred Rolls', England, in the year 1273 and a Johannes Watson who was recorded in the 'Poll Tax' of the West Riding of Yorkshire in the year 1379. A John Wattessone was recorded in the 'Close Rolls' in the reign of Edward III and a Thomas Chamberlaine and Jane Watts were married in Saint Mary, Aldermary, in the year 1598. In Ireland this name is an anglicized form of the Gaelic MacBhaididh Sept name, which was also anglicized as MacWhatty and MacQuatt. Watson is also often found in Ulster Province having been introduced there by settlers who arrived from Scotland, especially during the seventeenth century.The Watson family crest (or coat of arms) came into existence many centuries ago. The process of creating these coats of arms began as early as the eleventh century although a form of Proto-Heraldry may have existed in some countries prior to this, including Ireland. The new more formalized art of Heraldry made it possible for families and even individual family members to have their very own family crest, coat of arms, including Watson descendants.