2000
#10,964
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,663
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.99
Rare Last name
Woodrow
An English locational surname derived from a place name meaning "row of houses by a wood."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,017 Americans carry the last name Woodrow. That puts it at #11,453 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.88 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 113,608 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Woodrow 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Woodrow with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.0K
1 in 113,608
Census rank
#11,453
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,631 bearers of the surname Woodrow in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.88 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11453rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Woodrow, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.9%. The next largest groups are Black (6.1%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Woodrow
The surname Woodrow has its origins in England, emerging in the medieval period. It is a locational name derived from places called Woodrow or Woodrowe, which were likely small hamlets or areas of woodland. The prefix "wood" comes from the Old English word "wudu," meaning forest or wood, while the suffix "row" or "rowe" may have referred to a row or line of trees or a clearing in the woods.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Woodrow appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, which documented the landholdings and properties of Norman England. The entry mentions a place called "Wuderowe" in Wiltshire, suggesting that the name was already in use by that time.
In the 13th century, a man named William de Woderoue was mentioned in the Assize Rolls of Staffordshire in 1272. This early spelling variation highlights the name's locational roots and its connection to wooded areas.
During the 14th century, the Woodrow surname began to spread across England, with records showing individuals bearing the name in various counties. For example, John Wodrowe was recorded in the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex in 1332, while Thomas Wodrow was mentioned in the Lay Subsidy Rolls of Lancashire in 1377.
One notable bearer of the Woodrow name was the Scottish ecclesiastical historian and minister Robert Woodrow (1679-1734). He was born in Paisley and authored several works on church history and theology, including "An Impartial History of the Church and State of Scotland."
In the 19th century, the Woodrow family produced another prominent figure, Woodrow Wilson (1856-1924), the 28th President of the United States. Born Thomas Woodrow Wilson in Staunton, Virginia, he served as president from 1913 to 1921 and was influential in shaping American foreign policy during and after World War I.
Other historically significant individuals with the surname Woodrow include James Woodrow (1828-1907), a Scottish-American Presbyterian minister and theologian who played a role in the development of Southern Presbyterian theology, and Thomas Woodrow (1854-1937), a Scottish footballer who played for several clubs in the late 19th century, including Rangers and Burnley.
While the Woodrow name has its roots in England, it has since spread to other parts of the world, particularly through emigration and the descendants of those who bore the name in earlier centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Woodrow
Among Census respondents with the surname Woodrow, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.9%. The next largest groups are Black (6.1%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Woodrow 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 Woodrow surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White84.9% · 2,234
- Black or African American6.1% · 160
- Two or more races3.7% · 97
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 89
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 27
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 24
Timeline
Historical Census data for Woodrow
Woodrow 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
#11,543
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,723
+60 bearers (+2.3%)
Per 100,000 0.92
Rank movement Down 579 places
2020
#11,453
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,631
-92 bearers (-3.4%)
Per 100,000 0.88
Rank movement Up 90 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,964 | 2,663 | 0.99 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,543 | 2,723 | 0.92 | +60 bearers (+2.3%) | Down 579 places |
| 2020 | #11,453 | 2,631 | 0.88 | -92 bearers (-3.4%) | Up 90 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 Woodrow 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 | #11,543 | #11,453 | 0.8% |
| Count | 2,723 | 2,631 | -3.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.92 | 0.88 | -4.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Woodrow bearers went from 2,723 to 2,631 (-3.4% change). The surname moved up 90 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,543 to #11,453.
FAQ
Woodrow surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Woodrow?
Name Census estimates that about 3,017 living Americans carry the surname Woodrow. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 113,608 residents.
How common is Woodrow?
Woodrow ranks #11,453 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.88 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,631 people with the surname Woodrow. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,017), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.88 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.88 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Woodrow.
Has Woodrow become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Woodrow went from 2,723 recorded bearers to 2,631. That is a decrease of 92 (-3.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #11,543 to #11,453.
What does the Census say about the background of Woodrow?
Among Census respondents with the surname Woodrow, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.9%. The next largest groups are Black (6.1%) and Two or More Races (3.7%). 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 Woodrow in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.9% (2,234 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Woodrow appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (84.9%), Black (6.1%), Two or More Races (3.7%). 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 Woodrow (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 Woodrow mean?
An English locational surname derived from a place name meaning "row of houses by a wood." 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 Woodrow (0.88 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 Woodrow?
You can see how many Americans have the surname Woodrow on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.