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

Wood, 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 Wood surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Wood in America

Wood is the 84th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Wood surname appeared 250,715 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 85 people would have the surname Wood.

We can also compare 2010 data for Wood 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 Wood

The surname WOOD is an English surname that originated as a topographic name for someone who lived by or in a wood or forest. It is derived from the Old English word 'wudu' meaning wood or forest. The name can be traced back to the 12th century in various records and manuscripts from that time.

One of the earliest recorded examples of the surname WOOD is found in the Pipe Rolls of Staffordshire in 1199, which mention a Robert de Wude. The Hundred Rolls of 1273 also list several people with the name WOOD, including John del Wode and William de la Wode. These early spellings highlight the topographic origin of the name, with the prepositions 'de' and 'del' indicating someone living near or by a wood.

The surname WOOD is also found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a survey of landholdings commissioned by William the Conqueror. The book mentions several places with the name 'Wode', such as Wode in Hampshire and Wode in Buckinghamshire, which may have been the locations from where some early WOOD families derived their name.

One notable person with the surname WOOD was Sir Andrew Wood (c. 1455-1542), a Scottish naval captain and merchant who played a significant role in the naval battles between Scotland and England in the 16th century. Another famous bearer of the name was Robert Wood (1622-1685), an English mathematician and geographer who wrote several important works on navigation and astronomy.

Other notable individuals with the surname WOOD include:

1. Leonard Wood (1860-1927), an American military officer and Medal of Honor recipient.
2. Grant Wood (1891-1942), an American painter best known for his iconic work 'American Gothic'.
3. Samuel Wood (1609-1681), an early English settler in colonial Massachusetts and a prominent figure in the Massachusetts Bay Colony.
4. Natalie Wood (1938-1981), an American actress who starred in numerous films, including 'Rebel Without a Cause' and 'West Side Story'.
5. Evan Rachel Wood (born 1987), an American actress known for her roles in films like 'Thirteen' and the HBO series 'Westworld'.

The surname WOOD has been widespread throughout England and Scotland for centuries and is now found across many parts of the English-speaking world.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Wood

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

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

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

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