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

Sherwood, 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 Sherwood surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Sherwood in America

Sherwood is the 1685th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Sherwood surname appeared 21,384 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 7 people would have the surname Sherwood.

We can also compare 2010 data for Sherwood 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.

The history of the last name Sherwood

The surname Sherwood is an English toponymic name derived from the Sherwood Forest in Nottinghamshire. It originally referred to someone who lived near or in the Sherwood Forest area. The name is derived from the Old English words "sceor" meaning bright or sheering, and "wudu" meaning wood or forest, collectively meaning "bright or sheer wood".

The earliest recorded spelling of the name dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appeared as "Siruuede". Other early spellings include Shirewode, Shyrewode, and Shyrwode in the 13th and 14th centuries. The name was also associated with the legendary figure of Robin Hood, who was said to have resided in Sherwood Forest.

One of the earliest recorded bearers of the name was William de Shyrwode, who was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Nottinghamshire in 1195. Another early bearer was Robertus de Shirewode, recorded in the Assize Rolls of Staffordshire in 1272.

In the 14th century, a notable figure with the surname was Sir Thomas de Shyrwode, a knight who fought in the Battle of Crécy during the Hundred Years' War in 1346. He was born around 1320 and died in 1372.

During the 16th century, John Sherwood (1508-1554) was a prominent English Protestant martyr who was burned at the stake for his religious beliefs during the Marian Persecutions.

In the 17th century, Benjamin Sherwood (1638-1688) was an English nonconformist minister and author who wrote several works on religious topics.

Another notable bearer of the name was Mary Martha Sherwood (1775-1851), an English writer and educator best known for her children's literature, including the popular book "The Fairchild Family".

In the 19th century, William Henry Sherwood (1826-1888) was an American pianist and composer who made significant contributions to the development of American classical music.

These are just a few examples of individuals with the surname Sherwood throughout history, highlighting its English origins and connection to the Sherwood Forest area, as well as its use by notable figures across various fields.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Sherwood

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

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 Sherwood was:

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 Sherwood has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

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 Sherwood was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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