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

Woodards, 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 Woodards surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Woodards in America

Woodards is the 62531st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Woodards surname appeared 320 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 Woodards.

We can also compare 2010 data for Woodards 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 Woodards

The surname Woodards originated in England during the medieval period, particularly in the counties of Norfolk and Suffolk. The name derives from the Old English elements wudu meaning "wood" and heard meaning "hardy" or "brave," leading to a meaning essentially akin to "hardy as wood" or "brave in the woods." This combination suggests that the original bearers of the name may have been known for their strength, resilience, or their role as a forester.

Early records featuring the surname Woodards include various spellings due to the lack of standardized spelling in medieval times. One of the earliest occurrences can be traced back to the Subsidy Rolls of Suffolk in 1327, where a Richard Wodehard is mentioned. This variation highlights the linguistic fluidity of the era, where pronunciation often influenced spelling.

Notable individuals bearing the surname Woodards include John Woodards, who appears in the 1573 will of Thomas Wodeard in Norfolk, indicating the name's persistence in the region over centuries. In 1623, William Woodards is documented in the parish registers of St. Mary's Church in Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk, exemplifying continued presence and propagation of the surname in historical records.

By the 18th century, the surname had spread to the New World. One prominent figure was Samuel Woodards, born in 1750, who fought in the American Revolutionary War, furthering the name’s reach and historical significance. In England during the Victorian era, Reverend Nathaniel Woodards (1825-1893) gained fame as a philanthropist and the founder of the Woodard Schools, a network of Anglican schools which carry a legacy that persists today.

The diverse spelling variants and documented instances of individuals with the surname Woodards offer a glimpse into the socio-historical fabric of medieval and early modern England. Additionally, they underscore the ways in which names adapted and evolved over time and geography, all while retaining a connection to their Anglo-Saxon roots.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Woodards

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

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

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

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