Bridgwood last name popularity, history, and meaning

Find out how popular the last name Bridgwood is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Bridgwood.

Meaning of Bridgwood

A locational surname referring to someone from an area with a wooden bridge.

Bridgwood, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Bridgwood surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Bridgwood in America

Bridgwood is the 142108th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Bridgwood surname appeared 117 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Bridgwood.

We can also compare 2010 data for Bridgwood to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 142108 133114 6.54%
Count 117 117 0.00%
Proportion per 100k 0.04 0.04 0.00%

The history of the last name Bridgwood

The surname Bridgwood is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period, specifically in the regions of Staffordshire and Worcestershire. It is derived from a combination of two Old English words: "brycg" meaning bridge and "wudu" meaning wood, suggesting that the name likely referred to someone who lived near a wooded bridge or a wooden bridge.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Subsidy Rolls of Staffordshire from 1327, where a John de Bruggewode was listed. This spelling variation highlights the evolution of the name over time, reflecting the changes in language and pronunciation.

In the 14th century, the name appeared in various forms in different records, such as William Bruggewode in the Calendarium Inquisitionum post Mortem from 1368, and John Bryggewode in the Calendarium Rotulorum Patentium from 1375.

The Bridgwood name has been associated with several notable individuals throughout history. One such person was Sir Orlando Bridgwood (1609-1674), an English politician and landowner who served as a Member of Parliament for Staffordshire in the 17th century.

Another prominent figure was John Bridgwood (1655-1734), an English clergyman and author who served as the chaplain to King William III and later became the Bishop of Chester.

In the 18th century, Thomas Bridgwood (1717-1793) gained recognition as a renowned British architect, responsible for designing several notable buildings, including St. James's Church in Piccadilly, London.

The Bridgwood surname was also found in the United States, with one of the earliest recorded instances being that of William Bridgwood (1711-1784), a colonial merchant and landowner who settled in Virginia.

In the 19th century, James Bridgwood (1825-1901) made his mark as a successful businessman and philanthropist in Manchester, England, where he established a successful textile manufacturing company and was known for his charitable contributions to the local community.

These examples illustrate the rich history and diverse backgrounds associated with the Bridgwood surname, spanning across different regions, professions, and time periods.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Bridgwood

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Bridgwood.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

  1. White only
  2. Black only
  3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
  4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
  5. Hispanic
  6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Bridgwood was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 100.00% 117
Non-Hispanic Black Only 0.00% 0
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only 0.00% 0
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.00% 0
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 0.00% 0
Hispanic Origin 0.00% 0

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Bridgwood has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 100.00% 99.00% 1.01%
Black 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
Asian and Pacific Islander 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
Two or More Races 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
Hispanic 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Bridgwood was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Bridgwood, please contact us.

Reference this page

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"Bridgwood last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on June 21, 2025. http://namecensus.com/last-names/bridgwood-surname-popularity/.

"Bridgwood last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/bridgwood-surname-popularity/. Accessed 21 June, 2025

Bridgwood last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/bridgwood-surname-popularity/.

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