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

Woods, 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 Woods surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Woods in America

Woods is the 144th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Woods surname appeared 177,425 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 60 people would have the surname Woods.

We can also compare 2010 data for Woods 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 Woods

The surname Woods is of English origin, derived from the Old English word 'wudu', meaning a wood or forest. It is an occupational surname, originally given to someone who lived near or worked in a wooded area.

The earliest recorded instance of the surname Woods dates back to the 13th century, appearing in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire in 1273 as 'atte Wode'. Over time, the name evolved into various spellings such as Attwood, Woodhouse, and eventually Woods.

In the Domesday Book of 1086, a survey of landholdings commissioned by William the Conqueror, several place names containing the word 'wood' are mentioned, including Woodstock in Oxfordshire and Woodford in Northamptonshire. These place names may have contributed to the emergence of the surname Woods in those areas.

One notable bearer of the surname was Sir Henry Woods (1519-1584), a prominent lawyer and politician during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. He served as Lord Chancellor of Ireland from 1568 to 1584.

Another historically significant figure was Robert Woods (1622-1692), an English mathematician and geographer. He is best known for his work 'A Treatise of Navigation' published in 1674, which contributed significantly to the development of navigation and cartography.

In the field of literature, Harriet Woods (1827-1867) was an American poet and author. Her collection of poems, 'Poems, Sacred and Secular', published in 1856, gained her recognition as a respected writer of her time.

The 18th century saw the rise of Thomas Woods (1765-1837), an English architect and landscape designer. He was responsible for designing several notable buildings and parks, including the Royal Pavilion in Brighton and the gardens at Ashridge House in Hertfordshire.

Moving into the 19th century, Samuel Woods (1826-1905) was a prominent English manufacturer and philanthropist. He founded the Woods Millers Trust, which provided housing and education for the children of mill workers in the area.

These are just a few examples of notable individuals throughout history who have borne the surname Woods, a name rooted in the English landscape and occupational traditions.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Woods

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

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

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

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