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

Woodcock, 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 Woodcock surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Woodcock in America

Woodcock is the 5151st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Woodcock surname appeared 6,794 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Woodcock.

We can also compare 2010 data for Woodcock 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 Woodcock

The surname Woodcock has its origins in medieval England, tracing back to the 13th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old English words "wudu" meaning wood and "cocc" meaning bird, likely referring to the woodcock, a distinctive migratory bird found in wooded areas.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire from 1273, which mentions a certain John Woodcok. The Subsidy Rolls of Yorkshire from 1301 also list a Hugo Wodecok among the tax-paying residents.

In the 14th century, the name appeared in various forms such as Wodecok, Wodecokke, and Wodecoc, reflecting the variations in spelling common during that era. The Lay Subsidy Rolls of Staffordshire from 1327 include a William Wodecok, while the Poll Tax Returns of Yorkshire from 1379 record a Johannes Wodecok.

The Woodcock surname may have also been influenced by place names like Woodcote or Woodcott, which were derived from the Old English words "wudu" and "cot" meaning a dwelling or cottage in the woods.

One notable historical figure bearing the Woodcock surname was John Woodcock (c. 1470-1512), a Catholic priest and martyr who was executed during the reign of Henry VIII for denying the king's supremacy over the Church of England.

Another prominent individual was Thomas Woodcock (1608-1675), an English clergyman and author who served as the Rector of St. Andrew's Church in Framlingham, Suffolk.

In the 18th century, Robert Woodcock (1690-1728) was a renowned English portrait painter, known for his works depicting members of the aristocracy and gentry.

Moving into the 19th century, Francis Woodcock (1801-1859) was a British naval officer who served in the Royal Navy and participated in several important battles, including the Battle of Navarino in 1827.

Lastly, John Woodcock (1913-2007) was a British journalist and writer who covered several major events during his career, including World War II and the Nuremberg Trials.

These examples illustrate the longstanding presence of the Woodcock surname across various walks of life throughout British history, from religion and art to military service and journalism.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Woodcock

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

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

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

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