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

Woodward, 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 Woodward surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Woodward in America

Woodward is the 944th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Woodward surname appeared 36,764 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 12 people would have the surname Woodward.

We can also compare 2010 data for Woodward 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 Woodward

The surname Woodward originated in England, with records dating back to the 12th century. It is an occupational name for a forester or official in charge of a wood or forest. The name is derived from the Old English words "wudu" meaning wood and "weard" meaning guardian or keeper.

One of the earliest known references to the surname Woodward is in the Domesday Book of 1086, which recorded a landowner named Wudard in Gloucestershire. The name appeared in various spellings throughout the Middle Ages, including Wodward, Wodewarde, and Wudewarde.

In the 13th century, a John Woodward was listed as a tenant in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire in 1273. Another early record is of a Richard Woodward, who was mentioned in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1327.

Several notable individuals with the surname Woodward have left their mark in history. John Woodward (1665-1728) was an English naturalist and geologist who made significant contributions to the study of fossils. Thomas Woodward (1801-1852) was an English playwright and actor, known for his play "The Lottery of Life."

Henry Woodward (1832-1921) was a British geologist and palaeontologist, known for his work on fossil crustaceans and molluscs. Samuel Pickworth Woodward (1821-1865) was an English artist and engraver, best known for his illustrations in literary works such as those of Dickens and Thackeray.

John Woodward (1837-1914) was an English cricketer who played for Gloucestershire County Cricket Club and was one of the leading batsmen of his time.

The surname Woodward has also been associated with various place names in England, such as Woodward Green in Essex and Woodward's Hill in Somerset, indicating the historical presence of families bearing this name in those areas.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Woodward

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

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

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

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