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

Woodford, 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 Woodford surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Woodford in America

Woodford is the 6757th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Woodford surname appeared 4,989 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 Woodford.

We can also compare 2010 data for Woodford 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 Woodford

The surname Woodford is an English locational name derived from any of the numerous places named Woodford, meaning "wood by a ford" or "ford near a wood." The name is found in various counties across England, including Essex, Northamptonshire, and Wiltshire.

The earliest recorded instance of the name dates back to the 13th century, with Roger de Wodeford appearing in the Feet of Fines for Essex in 1285. In the 14th century, the Subsidy Rolls for Worcestershire mention John de Wodeforde in 1327.

The Woodford surname is not listed in the Domesday Book of 1086, as it was a locational name that emerged later. However, the place names from which the surname originated can be traced back to Anglo-Saxon times.

One notable historical figure with the surname Woodford was Sir Ralph Woodford (c. 1390-1459), an English soldier and landowner who fought in the Hundred Years' War. He was appointed Governor of the Isle of Wight in 1440.

In the 16th century, Thomas Woodford (c. 1512-1558) was an English Roman Catholic martyr who was executed during the reign of Queen Mary I for denying the spiritual supremacy of the Pope.

Another prominent Woodford was Sir Robert Woodford (1639-1717), an English politician and landowner who served as a Member of Parliament for Wiltshire from 1679 to 1685.

In the 19th century, James Russell Woodford (1820-1885) was an English clergyman and author who served as Bishop of Ely from 1873 until his death.

A more recent figure with the surname Woodford was Sir John Woodford (1868-1960), an English civil servant and historian who served as Clerk of the Privy Council from 1919 to 1939.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Woodford

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

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

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

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