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

Woodberry, 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 Woodberry surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Woodberry in America

Woodberry is the 13349th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Woodberry surname appeared 2,284 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Woodberry.

We can also compare 2010 data for Woodberry 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 Woodberry

The surname Woodberry is of English origin and dates back to the medieval era. It is a locational name derived from the place name "Wood Berry," which is believed to have originated from the Old English words "wudu" meaning "wood" and "berige" meaning "berry." The name likely referred to a place where berry-bearing trees or bushes grew in a wooded area.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Woodberry can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Cambridgeshire from the year 1195, where it is listed as "de Wodeberge." This suggests that the name was initially associated with a location or settlement bearing a similar name.

In the 13th century, the surname appeared in various forms such as "Wodebery," "Wodebury," and "Wodeberie" in various records from counties like Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, and Gloucestershire. These variations in spelling were common during that time due to the lack of standardized orthography.

The Hundred Rolls of 1273 mention a "William de Wodebergh" and a "Robert de Wodebergh," both from the county of Oxfordshire. These entries provide evidence of the surname's early presence and suggest that the name was well-established by that period.

During the 14th century, the surname Woodberry continued to appear in various records, including the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from 1327, where a "John Wodebery" is listed. The Lay Subsidy Rolls of Oxfordshire from 1334 also mention a "Thomas de Wodebury."

Notable individuals bearing the surname Woodberry throughout history include:

1. Thomas Woodberry (c. 1550 - 1617), an English clergyman and academic who served as the Regius Professor of Divinity at the University of Cambridge.

2. John Woodberry (1637 - 1701), an English Puritan minister and author who wrote several religious texts, including "The Faithful Watchman's Seasonable Warning."

3. George Edward Woodberry (1855 - 1930), an American literary critic, poet, and educator who taught at Columbia University and was known for his biographies of authors like Edgar Allan Poe and Ralph Waldo Emerson.

4. William Woodberry (1874 - 1952), an English artist and illustrator who was best known for his etchings and engravings depicting rural scenes and landscapes.

5. John Woodberry Jr. (1768 - 1836), an American merchant and shipowner from Salem, Massachusetts, who played a significant role in the maritime trade between New England and the West Indies during the late 18th and early 19th centuries.

The surname Woodberry has a rich history rooted in the English countryside and has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, including clergymen, academics, artists, and merchants, over the centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Woodberry

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

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

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

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