2000
#10,208
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,897
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.07
Rare Last name
Woodyard
An occupational surname referring to someone who worked in or managed a wood storage area or lumberyard.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,364 Americans carry the last name Woodyard. That puts it at #10,446 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.98 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 101,889 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Woodyard 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 Woodyard with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.4K
1 in 101,889
Census rank
#10,446
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,934 bearers of the surname Woodyard in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.98 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10446th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Woodyard, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.2%. The next largest groups are Black (16.6%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Woodyard
The surname WOODYARD is believed to have originated in England, tracing its roots back to the medieval era. It is a locational name, derived from the Old English words "wudu" meaning wood and "geard" meaning yard or enclosure, referring to someone who lived near or worked in a wooded area or a yard surrounded by trees.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name WOODYARD can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire, dated around 1230, where a certain Robert de Woodyard is mentioned as a landowner. This suggests that the name was already well-established in the northern counties of England by the 13th century.
The WOODYARD surname is also found in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire, dated 1327, which lists a John Woodyard among the taxpayers of the county. This indicates the name's presence in the West Midlands region during the early 14th century.
In the Domesday Book, a prestigious survey of land and property commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086, there are no direct references to the surname WOODYARD. However, the book does mention several places with similar names, such as Woodgarston in Berkshire and Woodgarth in Yorkshire, suggesting the existence of these locational names at the time.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname WOODYARD was William Woodyard, who was born in Cheshire, England, around 1520. He is mentioned in the parish records of St. Mary's Church in Chester, where he served as a church warden in the mid-16th century.
Another notable WOODYARD was John Woodyard, a merchant and alderman who lived in the city of Bristol in the late 16th century. He is recorded as having been involved in the city's thriving trade with the American colonies.
In the 17th century, the WOODYARD surname can be found in the records of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, where a family of that name settled in the town of Ipswich. Thomas Woodyard, born around 1620 in England, was one of the earliest settlers with this surname in the American colonies.
A prominent figure from the 18th century was Edward Woodyard, a successful businessman and landowner from Yorkshire, England. Born in 1725, he is known for his philanthropic efforts, including the establishment of a school for underprivileged children in his hometown.
Moving into the 19th century, we find the WOODYARD surname associated with the arts. Emily Woodyard, born in 1845 in Gloucestershire, England, was a celebrated painter and illustrator during the Victorian era, known for her exquisite watercolor landscapes and botanical studies.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Woodyard
Among Census respondents with the surname Woodyard, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.2%. The next largest groups are Black (16.6%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Woodyard 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 Woodyard surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White75.2% · 2,205
- Black or African American16.6% · 487
- Two or more races4.6% · 136
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 75
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 20
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 11
Timeline
Historical Census data for Woodyard
Woodyard 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
#10,572
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,032
+135 bearers (+4.7%)
Per 100,000 1.03
Rank movement Down 364 places
2020
#10,446
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,934
-98 bearers (-3.2%)
Per 100,000 0.98
Rank movement Up 126 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,208 | 2,897 | 1.07 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,572 | 3,032 | 1.03 | +135 bearers (+4.7%) | Down 364 places |
| 2020 | #10,446 | 2,934 | 0.98 | -98 bearers (-3.2%) | Up 126 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 Woodyard 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 | #10,572 | #10,446 | 1.2% |
| Count | 3,032 | 2,934 | -3.2% |
| Per 100K | 1.03 | 0.98 | -4.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Woodyard bearers went from 3,032 to 2,934 (-3.2% change). The surname moved up 126 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,572 to #10,446.
FAQ
Woodyard surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Woodyard?
Name Census estimates that about 3,364 living Americans carry the surname Woodyard. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 101,889 residents.
How common is Woodyard?
Woodyard ranks #10,446 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.98 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,934 people with the surname Woodyard. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,364), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.98 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.98 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Woodyard.
Has Woodyard become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Woodyard went from 3,032 recorded bearers to 2,934. That is a decrease of 98 (-3.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #10,572 to #10,446.
What does the Census say about the background of Woodyard?
Among Census respondents with the surname Woodyard, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.2%. The next largest groups are Black (16.6%) and Two or More Races (4.6%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Woodyard in the 2020 Census, accounting for 75.2% (2,205 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Woodyard appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (75.2%), Black (16.6%), Two or More Races (4.6%). 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 Woodyard (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 Woodyard mean?
An occupational surname referring to someone who worked in or managed a wood storage area or lumberyard. 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 Woodyard (0.98 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 Woodyard?
You can see how many people are called Woodyard on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.