Wasserman
A surname meaning “water man,” used for someone associated with water, waterways, or water work.
The #5,297 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 46,943 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Wasserman is built from German Wasser, meaning “water,” plus Mann, “man.” Taken literally, it means “water man.” In surname use, it may have described someone who lived by water, worked with water, or was associated with water-related trade or service. In Jewish families, it can also reflect the German/Yiddish naming pattern in which everyday words were combined into inherited surnames.
History
The name appears in both German-speaking and Jewish naming contexts, and it spread through Central and Eastern Europe before reaching English-speaking countries through migration. In older onomastic writing it is glossed straightforwardly as “waterman.” In the United States, it is an established but relatively uncommon surname.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The root Wasser is the same word behind many German place and family names connected with rivers, lakes, or wet ground.
From the historical record
“Pearman, Pesant, Plowman, Purser, Renter, Sand- man, SiLKMAN ; four families of Spinning, Spiker, and Wasserman (i.e., " waterman ") ; also Yeoman, Yo- MANS, and Yeomans. Mr. Belter, of that city, is an upholsterer. Mr. Oaksmith, of New York, is a pub- lisher, not a carpenter. Mr. Shoecraft lived in Buffalo, N.Y.…”
— Suffolk Surnames (3rd ed.)