2000
#4,676
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,931
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.57
Rare Last name
Woodcock
An English occupational surname referring to a hunter of woodcocks or a dweller by a wood.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 7,303 Americans carry the last name Woodcock. That puts it at #5,283 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.13 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 46,933 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Woodcock 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Woodcock with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
7.3K
1 in 46,933
Census rank
#5,283
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,369 bearers of the surname Woodcock in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.13 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5283rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Woodcock, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Hispanic (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Woodcock
Among Census respondents with the surname Woodcock, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Hispanic (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Woodcock 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 Woodcock surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.9% · 5,789
- Two or more races3.6% · 229
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 186
- Black or African American1.2% · 79
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 50
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 36
Timeline
Historical Census data for Woodcock
Woodcock 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
#5,151
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,794
-137 bearers (-2.0%)
Per 100,000 2.30
Rank movement Down 475 places
2020
#5,283
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,369
-425 bearers (-6.3%)
Per 100,000 2.13
Rank movement Down 132 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,676 | 6,931 | 2.57 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,151 | 6,794 | 2.30 | -137 bearers (-2.0%) | Down 475 places |
| 2020 | #5,283 | 6,369 | 2.13 | -425 bearers (-6.3%) | Down 132 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 Woodcock 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 | #5,151 | #5,283 | -2.6% |
| Count | 6,794 | 6,369 | -6.3% |
| Per 100K | 2.30 | 2.13 | -7.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Woodcock bearers went from 6,794 to 6,369 (-6.3% change). The surname moved down 132 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,151 to #5,283.
FAQ
Woodcock surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Woodcock?
Name Census estimates that about 7,303 living Americans carry the surname Woodcock. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 46,933 residents.
How common is Woodcock?
Woodcock ranks #5,283 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.13 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 6,369 people with the surname Woodcock. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (7,303), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.13 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.13 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Woodcock.
Has Woodcock become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Woodcock went from 6,794 recorded bearers to 6,369. That is a decrease of 425 (-6.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,151 to #5,283.
What does the Census say about the background of Woodcock?
Among Census respondents with the surname Woodcock, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Hispanic (2.9%). 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 Woodcock in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.9% (5,789 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Woodcock appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.9%), Two or More Races (3.6%), Hispanic (2.9%). 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 Woodcock (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 Woodcock mean?
An English occupational surname referring to a hunter of woodcocks or a dweller by a wood. 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 Woodcock (2.13 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 are called Woodcock?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many Americans have the surname Woodcock at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.