2000
#875
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 36,242
First available Census row
Per 100,000 13.43
Uncommon Last name
Woodward
An English topographic surname denoting someone who lived by or in a wood or forest.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 40,440 Americans carry the last name Woodward. That puts it at #978 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 11.80 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 8,476 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Woodward 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 Woodward with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
40K
1 in 8,476
Census rank
#978
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
11.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
35K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 35,266 bearers of the surname Woodward in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 11.80 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 978th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Woodward, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.6%. The next largest groups are Black (4.7%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Woodward
Among Census respondents with the surname Woodward, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.6%. The next largest groups are Black (4.7%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Woodward 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 Woodward surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.6% · 30,541
- Black or African American4.7% · 1,641
- Two or more races3.8% · 1,336
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 1,205
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 295
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 248
Timeline
Historical Census data for Woodward
Woodward 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
#944
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 36,764
+522 bearers (+1.4%)
Per 100,000 12.46
Rank movement Down 69 places
2020
#978
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 35,266
-1,498 bearers (-4.1%)
Per 100,000 11.80
Rank movement Down 34 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #875 | 36,242 | 13.43 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #944 | 36,764 | 12.46 | +522 bearers (+1.4%) | Down 69 places |
| 2020 | #978 | 35,266 | 11.80 | -1,498 bearers (-4.1%) | 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 Woodward 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 | #944 | #978 | -3.6% |
| Count | 36,764 | 35,266 | -4.1% |
| Per 100K | 12.46 | 11.80 | -5.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Woodward bearers went from 36,764 to 35,266 (-4.1% change). The surname moved down 34 positions in the national ranking, going from #944 to #978.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Woodward
FAQ
Woodward surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Woodward?
Name Census estimates that about 40,440 living Americans carry the surname Woodward. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 8,476 residents.
How common is Woodward?
Woodward ranks #978 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 11.80 per 100,000 residents, which is about 12 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 35,266 people with the surname Woodward. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (40,440), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 11.8 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 11.80 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 12 of them to have the surname Woodward.
Has Woodward become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Woodward went from 36,764 recorded bearers to 35,266. That is a decrease of 1,498 (-4.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #944 to #978.
What does the Census say about the background of Woodward?
Among Census respondents with the surname Woodward, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.6%. The next largest groups are Black (4.7%) and Two or More Races (3.8%). 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 Woodward in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.6% (30,541 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Woodward appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.6%), Black (4.7%), Two or More Races (3.8%). 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 Woodward (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 Woodward mean?
An English topographic surname denoting someone who lived by or in 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 Woodward (11.80 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 Woodward?
Want to know how many people have the surname Woodward? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.