2000
#2,014
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 16,496
First available Census row
Per 100,000 6.12
Uncommon Last name
Woodson
An English occupational surname referring to someone who lived or worked in or near a wood or forest.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 18,946 Americans carry the last name Woodson. That puts it at #2,132 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 5.53 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 18,091 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Woodson 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 Woodson with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
19K
1 in 18,091
Census rank
#2,132
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
5.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
17K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 16,522 bearers of the surname Woodson in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 5.53 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2132nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Woodson, the largest self-reported group is Black at 53.0%. The next largest groups are White (37.2%) and Two or More Races (5.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Woodson
Among Census respondents with the surname Woodson, the largest self-reported group is Black at 53.0%. The next largest groups are White (37.2%) and Two or More Races (5.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Woodson 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 Woodson surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American53.0% · 8,763
- White37.2% · 6,152
- Two or more races5.6% · 926
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 557
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 62
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 62
Timeline
Historical Census data for Woodson
Woodson 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
#2,098
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 17,242
+746 bearers (+4.5%)
Per 100,000 5.85
Rank movement Down 84 places
2020
#2,132
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 16,522
-720 bearers (-4.2%)
Per 100,000 5.53
Rank movement Down 34 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,014 | 16,496 | 6.12 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,098 | 17,242 | 5.85 | +746 bearers (+4.5%) | Down 84 places |
| 2020 | #2,132 | 16,522 | 5.53 | -720 bearers (-4.2%) | Down 34 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 Woodson 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 | #2,098 | #2,132 | -1.6% |
| Count | 17,242 | 16,522 | -4.2% |
| Per 100K | 5.85 | 5.53 | -5.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Woodson bearers went from 17,242 to 16,522 (-4.2% change). The surname moved down 34 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,098 to #2,132.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Woodson
FAQ
Woodson surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Woodson?
Name Census estimates that about 18,946 living Americans carry the surname Woodson. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 18,091 residents.
How common is Woodson?
Woodson ranks #2,132 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 5.53 per 100,000 residents, which is about 6 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 16,522 people with the surname Woodson. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (18,946), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 5.53 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 5.53 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 6 of them to have the surname Woodson.
Has Woodson become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Woodson went from 17,242 recorded bearers to 16,522. That is a decrease of 720 (-4.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,098 to #2,132.
What does the Census say about the background of Woodson?
Among Census respondents with the surname Woodson, the largest self-reported group is Black at 53.0%. The next largest groups are White (37.2%) and Two or More Races (5.6%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Woodson in the 2020 Census, accounting for 53.0% (8,763 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Woodson appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (53.0%), White (37.2%), Two or More Races (5.6%). 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 Woodson (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 Woodson mean?
An English occupational surname referring to someone who lived or worked in or near a wood or forest. 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 Woodson (5.53 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 Woodson?
Want to know how many Americans have the surname Woodson? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.