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

Woodburn, 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 Woodburn surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Woodburn in America

Woodburn is the 11807th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Woodburn surname appeared 2,651 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 Woodburn.

We can also compare 2010 data for Woodburn 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 Woodburn

The surname Woodburn originated in England and dates back to the medieval period. It is a locational name derived from the Old English words "wudu" meaning wood and "burna" meaning stream, referring to someone who lived near a stream running through a wooded area.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Woodburn name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which mentions a place called "Wodeburne" in Wiltshire. This suggests that the name was already established by the late 11th century.

In the 13th century, the Woodburn surname appeared in various records and documents such as the Hundred Rolls of 1273, which listed a Robert de Wodeburn in Oxfordshire. The name also appeared in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire in 1301, referring to a Thomas de Wodeburn.

During the 16th century, the Woodburn family had a presence in Northumberland, England. One notable member was John Woodburn (c. 1540-1610), who served as a Member of Parliament for Morpeth in 1589.

In the 17th century, the Woodburn surname spread to other parts of England and Scotland. William Woodburn (1638-1701) was a Scottish minister and author who wrote several religious texts.

In the 18th century, the Woodburn name gained prominence in the arts. Samuel Woodburn (1765-1826) was an English engraver and print seller who published works by renowned artists such as J.M.W. Turner and Thomas Girtin.

In the 19th century, Sir William Woodbine Parish (1796-1858) was a notable English diplomat and traveler who served as a British Charge d'Affaires in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Throughout history, the Woodburn surname has been associated with various locations, including Woodburn in Midlothian, Scotland, and Woodburn Village in West Virginia, United States, which were likely named after individuals bearing this surname.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Woodburn

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

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

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

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