2000
#127,948
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 123
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Woodal
A topographic surname likely denoting someone who lived near a forest or woodland.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 126 Americans carry the last name Woodal. That puts it at #149,446 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,720,273 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Woodal surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
126
1 in 2,720,273
Census rank
#149,446
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
110
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 110 bearers of the surname Woodal in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 149446th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Woodal, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.9%. The next largest groups are Black (4.5%) and Hispanic (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Woodal
The surname Woodal originates from England and dates back to the medieval period. Its roots can be traced to the Old English words "wudu," meaning "wood," and "healh," meaning "nook" or "corner," and together it likely referred to someone who lived by a wooded nook or a corner surrounded by woods. Variants of the name, such as Woodhall and Woodall, were quite frequent in the Middle Ages, reflecting regional dialectical differences and the phonetic spelling of names at that time.
Woodal as a surname appears in historical references dating back to the 13th and 14th centuries. For instance, records from Yorkshire, England, mention a Robert de Wodehalle in 1298. This early form of the name underscores the connection to locational significances, in this case to a hall near a wood.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the modern spelling, Woodal, appears in parish registers from the late 16th century. In 1598, the baptism of Alice Woodal was documented in Warwickshire. This reference illustrates both the longevity and regional spread of the surname from its initial geographical origins.
James Woodal, born in 1624, was a noteworthy figure who played a minor role in the English Civil War as a fervent supporter of the Parliamentary side. He is remembered through various military roll calls and a few court records of the time, providing seminal pieces of evidence of the name's presence during a tumultuous period in English history.
Another reference can be found in the Will of Thomas Woodal, a tanner from Derby, who died in 1702. His will provides valuable insight into the socioeconomic status of those bearing the surname; as a successful tradesman, his legacy depicted a relatively affluent life amidst the burgeoning Industrial Revolution in England.
In 1803, Samuel Woodal, a prominent local figure in Lancashire, contributed significantly to the community as an early proponent of public education. He was instrumental in setting up some of the region's first free schools, thereby marking a significant contribution under the Woodal name during the early 19th century.
By tracing the Woodal surname through these periods and individuals, its rich history becomes evident, chronologically marking snapshots of socio-political, economic, and educational contributions made by bearers of the name over centuries within English society.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Woodal
Among Census respondents with the surname Woodal, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.9%. The next largest groups are Black (4.5%) and Hispanic (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Woodal bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Woodal surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.9% · 100
- Black or African American4.5% · 5
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Woodal
Woodal appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#153,769
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
-17 bearers (-13.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 25,821 places
2020
#149,446
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
+4 bearers (+3.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 4,323 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #127,948 | 123 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #153,769 | 106 | 0.04 | -17 bearers (-13.8%) | Down 25,821 places |
| 2020 | #149,446 | 110 | 0.04 | +4 bearers (+3.8%) | Up 4,323 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Woodal surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #153,769 | #149,446 | 2.8% |
| Count | 106 | 110 | 3.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -8.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Woodal bearers went from 106 to 110 (+3.8% change). The surname moved up 4,323 positions in the national ranking, going from #153,769 to #149,446.
FAQ
Woodal surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Woodal?
Name Census estimates that about 126 living Americans carry the surname Woodal. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,720,273 residents.
How common is Woodal?
Woodal ranks #149,446 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 110 people with the surname Woodal. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (126), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Woodal.
Has Woodal become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Woodal went from 106 recorded bearers to 110. That is an increase of 4 (+3.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #153,769 to #149,446.
What does the Census say about the background of Woodal?
Among Census respondents with the surname Woodal, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.9%. The next largest groups are Black (4.5%) and Hispanic (2.7%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Woodal in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.9% (100 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Woodal appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.9%), Black (4.5%), Hispanic (2.7%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Woodal (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Woodal mean?
A topographic surname likely denoting someone who lived near a forest or woodland. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Woodal (0.04 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the surname Woodal?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.