2000
#1,825
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 18,069
First available Census row
Per 100,000 6.70
Uncommon Last name
Woody
An English occupational surname referring to someone who gathered or sold wood.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 19,994 Americans carry the last name Woody. That puts it at #2,026 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 5.83 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 17,143 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Woody 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 Woody with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
20K
1 in 17,143
Census rank
#2,026
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
5.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
17K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 17,436 bearers of the surname Woody in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 5.83 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2026th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Woody, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.4%. The next largest groups are Black (15.9%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (4.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Woody
The surname "WOODY" is of English origin and can be traced back to the Middle Ages. It is believed to have originated as a topographic name for someone who lived near a wood or forest. The name is derived from the Old English word "wudu," meaning "wood" or "forest."
During the medieval period, many surnames were derived from the physical features of the landscape or the location where a person lived. The name "WOODY" likely emerged as a descriptive surname for individuals residing in or near wooded areas.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name can be found in the Subsidy Rolls for Yorkshire in 1297, where a John del Wode (meaning "of the wood") is listed. This early spelling variation highlights the connection between the surname and the Old English word "wudu."
In the 14th century, the name appeared in various forms, such as "atte Wode" and "de la Wode," indicating the place of residence or origin of the person bearing the name. These variations eventually evolved into the modern spelling of "WOODY."
Historically, the surname "WOODY" has been associated with several notable individuals. One of the earliest recorded figures was Sir John Woodye (c. 1390-1451), a member of the English gentry and a supporter of the House of Lancaster during the Wars of the Roses.
Another prominent figure was William Wodeye (c. 1445-1517), an English merchant and alderman of the City of London, who served as Lord Mayor in 1492.
In the 16th century, the name was associated with John Wode (c. 1520-1584), a English playwright and author known for his work "The Conflict of Conscience."
Moving forward, James Woody (1784-1857) was a Scottish-born American educator and author who founded the Woody Prize, an annual award for excellence in teaching.
Additionally, Robert Woody (1868-1938) was an American attorney and politician who served as a United States Representative from Delaware in the early 20th century.
Throughout history, the surname "WOODY" has been linked to various places and locations, often deriving from nearby woods or forests. For example, the village of Woodyton in Shropshire, England, is believed to have been named after someone with the surname "WOODY" who lived there in the medieval period.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Woody
Among Census respondents with the surname Woody, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.4%. The next largest groups are Black (15.9%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (4.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Woody 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 Woody surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White71.4% · 12,447
- Black or African American15.9% · 2,779
- American Indian and Alaska Native4.7% · 817
- Two or more races4.3% · 748
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 560
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 85
Timeline
Historical Census data for Woody
Woody 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
#1,960
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 18,434
+365 bearers (+2.0%)
Per 100,000 6.25
Rank movement Down 135 places
2020
#2,026
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 17,436
-998 bearers (-5.4%)
Per 100,000 5.83
Rank movement Down 66 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,825 | 18,069 | 6.70 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,960 | 18,434 | 6.25 | +365 bearers (+2.0%) | Down 135 places |
| 2020 | #2,026 | 17,436 | 5.83 | -998 bearers (-5.4%) | Down 66 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 Woody 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 | #1,960 | #2,026 | -3.4% |
| Count | 18,434 | 17,436 | -5.4% |
| Per 100K | 6.25 | 5.83 | -6.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Woody bearers went from 18,434 to 17,436 (-5.4% change). The surname moved down 66 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,960 to #2,026.
FAQ
Woody surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Woody?
Name Census estimates that about 19,994 living Americans carry the surname Woody. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 17,143 residents.
How common is Woody?
Woody ranks #2,026 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 5.83 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 17,436 people with the surname Woody. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (19,994), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 5.83 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 5.83 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 Woody.
Has Woody become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Woody went from 18,434 recorded bearers to 17,436. That is a decrease of 998 (-5.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,960 to #2,026.
What does the Census say about the background of Woody?
Among Census respondents with the surname Woody, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.4%. The next largest groups are Black (15.9%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (4.7%). 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 Woody in the 2020 Census, accounting for 71.4% (12,447 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Woody appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (71.4%), Black (15.9%), American Indian/Alaska Native (4.7%). 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 Woody (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 Woody mean?
An English occupational surname referring to someone who gathered or sold wood. 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 Woody (5.83 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 Americans have the surname Woody?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.