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

Woodson, 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 Woodson surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Woodson in America

Woodson is the 2098th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Woodson surname appeared 17,242 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 6 people would have the surname Woodson.

We can also compare 2010 data for Woodson 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 Woodson

The surname Woodson is of English origin, derived from the Old English words "wudu" meaning wood and "sunu" meaning son, thus translating to "son of the woodman" or "son of the forester." This name first emerged in the 12th century and was primarily concentrated in the counties of Staffordshire and Warwickshire.

The earliest known record of the name Woodson appears in the Pipe Rolls of Staffordshire from the year 1195, where it is spelled "Wodessone." In the Hundred Rolls of 1273, the name is documented as "Wodson" in Warwickshire. These early records indicate the occupational origins of the surname, referring to individuals who worked as woodsmen or foresters.

One of the earliest known bearers of the name was John Woodson, who was born in Staffordshire around 1290. He is mentioned in a charter from 1316 relating to land transactions in the village of Shenstone.

The Woodson family has a long-standing connection to the village of Wootton Wawen in Warwickshire, which was formerly known as "Woodeton" or "Wodeton" in the 13th century. This place name likely influenced the spelling variations of the surname.

During the 16th century, the Woodson name gained prominence with the birth of Sir Ralph Woodson (1530-1592), a prominent landowner and Member of Parliament for Staffordshire. His descendants continued to play influential roles in the county for several generations.

Another notable bearer of the name was John Woodson (1586-1644), a English clergyman and author who served as the Bishop of Winchester from 1636 until his death. He was born in Derbyshire and is remembered for his theological writings and sermons.

In the 17th century, the Woodson family expanded to the American colonies, with Robert Woodson (1610-1677) being one of the earliest settlers to arrive in Virginia in 1638. He established a prominent family line in the colony, and his descendants played significant roles in the development of the region.

Other notable individuals with the Woodson surname include:

1. Benjamin Woodson (1789-1859), an American politician and military officer who served as the 16th Governor of Missouri.
2. Carter G. Woodson (1875-1950), an American historian, author, and scholar known as the "Father of Black History."
3. Dorothy Woodson (1891-1950), an American writer and educator who was a pioneer in the field of children's literature.
4. Robert Woodson (born 1937), an American civil rights activist and founder of the Woodson Center, a nonprofit organization focused on community revitalization.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Woodson

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

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

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

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