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

Woodhouse, 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 Woodhouse surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Woodhouse in America

Woodhouse is the 8316th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Woodhouse surname appeared 3,985 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Woodhouse.

We can also compare 2010 data for Woodhouse 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 Woodhouse

The surname Woodhouse is of English origin, deriving from the Old English words 'wudu' meaning wood and 'hus' meaning house. It initially referred to someone who lived in a house located in or near a wooded area. The name can be traced back to the 11th century and the time of the Norman Conquest of England.

One of the earliest recorded examples of the surname Woodhouse dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086, a comprehensive survey of land and property ownership commissioned by William the Conqueror. The name appears in various spellings, including Woodehus and Wodehous, reflecting the phonetic variations common during that era.

The Woodhouse surname was particularly prevalent in the counties of Yorkshire and Lincolnshire, where several villages and hamlets bore the name, such as Woodhouse in Yorkshire and Woodhouse Eaves in Leicestershire. These place names likely contributed to the proliferation of the surname in those regions.

Notable historical figures bearing the Woodhouse surname include Sir Michael Woodhouse (1544-1619), an English judge and Member of Parliament during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. Another prominent individual was James Woodhouse (1735-1809), an English mathematician and scientist who made significant contributions to the fields of differential calculus and probability theory.

In the literary world, John Woodhouse (1603-1654) was a renowned English Puritan minister and author, best known for his work 'A Treatise on the Lord's Supper.' Additionally, Robert Woodhouse (1773-1827) was an English mathematician and scholar who published several works on astronomy and the calculus.

Throughout the Middle Ages and the Renaissance period, the Woodhouse name was associated with various noble families and landowners across England. For instance, the Woodhouse family of Woodhouse Eaves in Leicestershire held considerable influence and property in the region for several generations.

While the surname Woodhouse may have evolved from its original geographic connotation, it has maintained a strong presence in English history, with numerous individuals bearing the name leaving their mark across various fields, including law, literature, science, and politics.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Woodhouse

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

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

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

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