Woodhall last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Woodhall

An English locational surname denoting a person from any place called "Woodhall".

Woodhall, 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 Woodhall surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Woodhall in America

Woodhall is the 40800th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Woodhall surname appeared 535 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Woodhall.

We can also compare 2010 data for Woodhall 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.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 40800 36463 11.23%
Count 535 579 -7.90%
Proportion per 100k 0.18 0.21 -15.38%

The history of the last name Woodhall

The surname Woodhall originates from England, with its roots tracing back to the Medieval period. It is a topographic surname, which means it is derived from a geographical feature near the residence of the first bearers. Specifically, Woodhall comes from the Old English words "wudu," meaning wood, and "heall," meaning hall or large house. The name would have been given to individuals who lived near or were associated with a significant hall located in a wooded area.

Woodhall is primarily associated with regions in Northern England, including Yorkshire and Lancashire, where remnants of the name and related historical settlements can still be found. Variants of the name, like Wodehall or Wodhall, appear in early records and reflect the linguistic evolutions of the English language over centuries.

The Domesday Book of 1086, commissioned by William the Conqueror, provides early references to places named Woodhall or similar variations, though specific records of individuals with the surname are scarce in this period. One of the first recorded instances of the surname Woodhall appears in the Yorkshire Poll Tax of 1379, listing a Richard de Wodehall. This indicates that the name was well established in the region by the Late Middle Ages.

An early bearer of the surname was Thomas Woodhall, born around 1450, who was noted for his involvement in local governance in the region of Yorkshire. Another significant individual was John Woodhall, a notable landowner born circa 1490, who held estates in Lancashire and contributed to local economic developments.

Sir Basil Woodhall, born in 1523, was a significant figure who expanded his family's influence through his knighthood and service to the crown. His contributions to regional politics and land management were well documented in the annals of the Tudor period.

Moving into the 17th century, Samuel Woodhall, born in 1610, was a distinguished scholar and clergyman. His writings, which included theological treatises and local histories, gained him a moderate level of fame in academic circles.

Lastly, Lady Eliza Woodhall, born in 1835, was a prominent socialite and philanthropist based in London. Known for her charitable works and patronage of the arts, she significantly influenced the social developments of her time.

Throughout history, individuals bearing the surname Woodhall have contributed to various fields, from governance and land management to academia and philanthropy, reflecting the breadth and depth of the name's historical significance.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Woodhall

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

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 Woodhall was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 92.52% 495
Non-Hispanic Black Only 2.06% 11
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native 1.31% 7
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races (S)% (S)
Hispanic Origin 2.80% 15

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 Woodhall has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 92.52% 92.75% -0.25%
Black 2.06% 2.07% -0.48%
Asian and Pacific Islander (S)% 0.00% (S)%
American Indian and Alaskan Native 1.31% 1.04% 22.98%
Two or More Races (S)% 1.90% (S)%
Hispanic 2.80% 2.25% 21.78%

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

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

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"Woodhall last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on June 14, 2025. http://namecensus.com/last-names/woodhall-surname-popularity/.

"Woodhall last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/woodhall-surname-popularity/. Accessed 14 June, 2025

Woodhall last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/woodhall-surname-popularity/.

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