2000
#135,837
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Woodfall
An English surname derived from a topographic name for someone who lived by a waterfall in a wooded area.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 119 Americans carry the last name Woodfall. That puts it at #153,590 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,880,289 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Woodfall 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.
Bearers in the US
119
1 in 2,880,289
Census rank
#153,590
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
104
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 104 bearers of the surname Woodfall in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 153590th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Woodfall, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (9.6%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Woodfall
The surname Woodfall finds its origins in England, emerging prominently during the medieval period. Tracing back to roots in Old English, the name is thought to derive from two elements: "wudu," meaning wood, and "fall," possibly referring to a clearing or a fallow area within a woodland. This composite suggests that the name likely described a person who lived near or on a wooded clearing, a typical surname formation practice during that time.
The earliest areas where the surname Woodfall appeared include regions in Yorkshire and Lancashire. These places were dense with forests, which might have influenced the concentration and proliferation of forest-related surnames. Variants and older spellings of the name, such as Wodefall or Wodfall, can be found in historical contexts, reflecting dialectical differences and the phonetic spelling of earlier periods.
Historical records notably reference individuals bearing the surname Woodfall. An early mention of the name appears in a 14th-century document, where a John de Wodefall is listed, establishing the family’s long-standing roots in England. The surname appears again in legal and property records from the 15th and 16th centuries, affirming its continued presence.
Several notable individuals carried the Woodfall surname through history. Henry Sampson Woodfall (1739–1805) was a significant figure, known as a prominent London printer and journalist. His role in publishing the Letters of Junius, a series of political satires, became a cornerstone in British press history. Another distinguished individual was William Woodfall (1746–1803), Henry's brother, who is credited for founding The Morning Chronicle and for pioneering the use of shorthand reporting in parliament.
In the realm of literature and arts, the Woodfall name also received prominence. Tony Richardson (Cecil Antonio Richardson, 1928–1991), although primarily known by his stage name, co-founded Woodfall Films with John Osborne, which became a leading force in British New Wave cinema during the 1960s. The Woodfall name, thus, extended from print to the silver screen, contributing significantly to British cultural heritage.
Historical place names tied to the Woodfall surname reinforce its longevity and regional affiliations. The village of Woodfall in Cheshire, though small, is an example where the name might have local significance, lending context to the geographical spread and influence of the family name.
The surname Woodfall, with its rich, though somewhat understated historical passage, reflects a tapestry of English social and cultural evolution, spanning from medieval times through prominent journals and cinemas, thereby cementing its place in the annals of English nomenclature.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Woodfall
Among Census respondents with the surname Woodfall, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (9.6%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Woodfall 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 Woodfall surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White80.8% · 84
- Hispanic or Latino9.6% · 10
- Two or more races4.8% · 5
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.9% · 3
- Black or African American1.9% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Woodfall
Woodfall 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
#146,201
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
-1 bearers (-0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 10,364 places
2020
#153,590
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
-9 bearers (-8.0%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 7,389 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #135,837 | 114 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #146,201 | 113 | 0.04 | -1 bearers (-0.9%) | Down 10,364 places |
| 2020 | #153,590 | 104 | 0.03 | -9 bearers (-8.0%) | Down 7,389 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 Woodfall 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 | #146,201 | #153,590 | -5.1% |
| Count | 113 | 104 | -8.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -13.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Woodfall bearers went from 113 to 104 (-8.0% change). The surname moved down 7,389 positions in the national ranking, going from #146,201 to #153,590.
FAQ
Woodfall surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Woodfall?
Name Census estimates that about 119 living Americans carry the surname Woodfall. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,880,289 residents.
How common is Woodfall?
Woodfall ranks #153,590 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 104 people with the surname Woodfall. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (119), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Woodfall.
Has Woodfall become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Woodfall went from 113 recorded bearers to 104. That is a decrease of 9 (-8.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #146,201 to #153,590.
What does the Census say about the background of Woodfall?
Among Census respondents with the surname Woodfall, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (9.6%) and Two or More Races (4.8%). 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 Woodfall in the 2020 Census, accounting for 80.8% (84 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Woodfall appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (80.8%), Hispanic (9.6%), Two or More Races (4.8%). 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 Woodfall (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 Woodfall mean?
An English surname derived from a topographic name for someone who lived by a waterfall in a wooded area. 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 Woodfall (0.03 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 have the surname Woodfall?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.