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

Wooden, 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 Wooden surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Wooden in America

Wooden is the 4702nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Wooden surname appeared 7,547 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 3 people would have the surname Wooden.

We can also compare 2010 data for Wooden 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 Wooden

The surname WOODEN is of English origin, and it is derived from the Old English word "wudu," meaning "wood" or "forest." The name likely originated in the Middle Ages and referred to someone who lived near a wooded area or worked with wood, such as a forester, woodcutter, or carpenter.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the WOODEN surname dates back to the 13th century in the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire, where a person named Roger Wodeman was mentioned in 1273. This early spelling variation, "Wodeman," further reinforces the connection between the surname and the Old English word "wudu."

In the 14th century, the surname appeared in various records, including the Poll Tax Returns of Yorkshire in 1379, where a John Wodeman was listed. Other early spellings of the name included "Wodden," "Woden," and "Wodyn," which were likely influenced by regional dialects and scribal variations.

The WOODEN surname has been associated with several notable individuals throughout history. One such person was John Wooden (1910-2010), an American basketball player and coach who is widely regarded as one of the greatest coaches in sports history. He led the UCLA Bruins to an unprecedented 10 NCAA national championships during his tenure as head coach from 1948 to 1975.

Another prominent figure with the WOODEN surname was Reverend John R. Wooden (1799-1868), an American missionary and educator who established several schools and churches in the Indian Territory (present-day Oklahoma) in the mid-19th century.

In the literary world, the WOODEN surname gained recognition through the works of John Wooden Warter (1809-1881), an English author and journalist who wrote extensively on social and political issues of his time.

The WOODEN surname has also been associated with notable scientists and inventors. For example, William Wooden (1905-1989) was an American chemist and inventor who held over 60 patents, primarily related to the development of synthetic rubber and plastics.

Additionally, the WOODEN surname has been linked to various place names in England, such as Woodend in Gloucestershire and Woodham in Buckinghamshire, further reinforcing its connection to wooded areas and forests.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Wooden

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

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!