2000
#6,510
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,809
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.78
Rare Last name
Woodring
An English occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of wooden rings or hoops.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,345 Americans carry the last name Woodring. That puts it at #6,945 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.56 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 64,126 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Woodring 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
5.3K
1 in 64,126
Census rank
#6,945
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,661 bearers of the surname Woodring in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.56 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6945th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Woodring, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.0%) and Hispanic (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Woodring
The surname "Woodring" is of English origin, derived from the Old English words "wudu" meaning "wood" and "hring" meaning "ring" or "circle." It is believed to have originated in the medieval period, likely referring to someone who lived near a circular woodland area or a clearing in the forest.
The earliest recorded instance of the name can be traced back to the 13th century, with references found in the Hundredorum Rolls of Oxfordshire in 1273, where it appeared as "Woderinges." This suggests that the name may have originated in the Oxfordshire region of England.
During the 14th century, the surname appeared in various forms, such as "Wodering," "Woderyng," and "Woderingg," reflecting the inconsistencies in spelling and record-keeping at the time. These variations were likely influenced by regional dialects and scribal interpretations.
In the 16th century, the name "Woodring" began to take its modern form, appearing in records from Essex, Berkshire, and Wiltshire. Notably, the Visitation of Berkshire in 1566 mentions a family by the name of Woodring residing in the area.
One of the earliest recorded instances of a person with the surname "Woodring" was John Woodring, who was born in Wiltshire, England, in 1548. He was a prominent landowner and is mentioned in several historical records from the late 16th century.
Another notable figure was William Woodring, born in 1614 in Essex, England. He was a merchant and served as a councilman in the town of Colchester during the mid-17th century.
In the 18th century, the name "Woodring" gained prominence in the United States, with several individuals bearing the surname arriving as immigrants from England. One such individual was Thomas Woodring, born in 1726 in Yorkshire, England, who later settled in Pennsylvania.
Samuel Woodring, born in 1789 in Virginia, was a soldier who fought in the War of 1812 and is mentioned in military records from that time period.
Perhaps one of the most well-known individuals with the surname "Woodring" was William Woodring, born in 1879 in Ohio. He was a prominent American politician who served as the United States Secretary of War under President Franklin D. Roosevelt from 1936 to 1940.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Woodring
Among Census respondents with the surname Woodring, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.0%) and Hispanic (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Woodring 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 Woodring surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.3% · 4,300
- Two or more races3.0% · 138
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 121
- Black or African American0.9% · 42
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 36
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 24
Timeline
Historical Census data for Woodring
Woodring 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
#6,542
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,176
+367 bearers (+7.6%)
Per 100,000 1.75
Rank movement Down 32 places
2020
#6,945
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,661
-515 bearers (-9.9%)
Per 100,000 1.56
Rank movement Down 403 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,510 | 4,809 | 1.78 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,542 | 5,176 | 1.75 | +367 bearers (+7.6%) | Down 32 places |
| 2020 | #6,945 | 4,661 | 1.56 | -515 bearers (-9.9%) | Down 403 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 Woodring 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 | #6,542 | #6,945 | -6.2% |
| Count | 5,176 | 4,661 | -9.9% |
| Per 100K | 1.75 | 1.56 | -10.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Woodring bearers went from 5,176 to 4,661 (-9.9% change). The surname moved down 403 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,542 to #6,945.
FAQ
Woodring surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Woodring?
Name Census estimates that about 5,345 living Americans carry the surname Woodring. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 64,126 residents.
How common is Woodring?
Woodring ranks #6,945 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.56 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,661 people with the surname Woodring. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,345), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.56 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.56 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Woodring.
Has Woodring become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Woodring went from 5,176 recorded bearers to 4,661. That is a decrease of 515 (-9.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,542 to #6,945.
What does the Census say about the background of Woodring?
Among Census respondents with the surname Woodring, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.0%) and Hispanic (2.6%). 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 Woodring in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.3% (4,300 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Woodring appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.3%), Two or More Races (3.0%), Hispanic (2.6%). 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 Woodring (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 Woodring mean?
An English occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of wooden rings or hoops. 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 Woodring (1.56 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 last name Woodring?
For a quick modern take, check how many Americans have the surname Woodring on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.