2000
#10,446
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,825
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.05
Rare Last name
Woolridge
An English locational surname derived from a place meaning "ridge frequented by wolves."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,227 Americans carry the last name Woolridge. That puts it at #10,816 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.94 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 106,215 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Woolridge 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 Woolridge with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.2K
1 in 106,215
Census rank
#10,816
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,814 bearers of the surname Woolridge in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.94 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10816th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Woolridge, the largest self-reported group is Black at 52.3%. The next largest groups are White (36.4%) and Two or More Races (6.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Woolridge
The surname Woolridge is of English origin, and it first appeared in the late 12th century. It is derived from the Old English words "wull" meaning wool, and "ridge" referring to a ridge or hill, indicating that the name likely originated from a place where wool was produced or traded near a ridge or hill.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name is found in the Pipe Rolls of Worcestershire in 1208, where it is spelled as "Wullerige." This suggests that the name was initially concentrated in the West Midlands region of England.
The surname Woolridge is also associated with various place names across England, such as Woolridge in Wiltshire and Woolridge Green in Gloucestershire. These locations may have played a role in the formation and spread of the surname.
In the 13th century, the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 mention a John de Wullerugg from Oxfordshire, indicating the name's presence in that area during that time period.
One notable bearer of the Woolridge surname was Sir Robert Woolridge (1536-1594), an English politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Westbury in Wiltshire during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.
Another historical figure with this surname was John Woolridge (1665-1743), an English clergyman and author who served as the Rector of Pophill in Wiltshire and wrote several religious works.
In the 17th century, the surname Woolridge appeared in various records, including the Hearth Tax Rolls of 1665-1666, where it is spelled as "Wooleredge" and "Wooleridge," reflecting the variations in spelling common during that era.
Thomas Woolridge (1766-1839) was an English architect and surveyor who designed several notable buildings in London, including the Piccadilly Terrace and parts of Regent's Park.
William Woolridge (1795-1879) was a British colonial administrator who served as the Lieutenant Governor of the British Virgin Islands from 1852 to 1856, and later as the Governor of the Falkland Islands from 1857 to 1864.
The surname Woolridge has also been found in other parts of the world, likely due to immigration from England. However, its origins can be traced back to the wool-producing regions of England, particularly in the West Midlands and surrounding areas.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Woolridge
Among Census respondents with the surname Woolridge, the largest self-reported group is Black at 52.3%. The next largest groups are White (36.4%) and Two or More Races (6.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Woolridge 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 Woolridge surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American52.3% · 1,473
- White36.4% · 1,024
- Two or more races6.1% · 173
- Hispanic or Latino4.2% · 117
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 17
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 10
Timeline
Historical Census data for Woolridge
Woolridge 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
#10,835
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,939
+114 bearers (+4.0%)
Per 100,000 1.00
Rank movement Down 389 places
2020
#10,816
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,814
-125 bearers (-4.3%)
Per 100,000 0.94
Rank movement Up 19 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,446 | 2,825 | 1.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,835 | 2,939 | 1.00 | +114 bearers (+4.0%) | Down 389 places |
| 2020 | #10,816 | 2,814 | 0.94 | -125 bearers (-4.3%) | Up 19 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 Woolridge 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 | #10,835 | #10,816 | 0.2% |
| Count | 2,939 | 2,814 | -4.3% |
| Per 100K | 1.00 | 0.94 | -5.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Woolridge bearers went from 2,939 to 2,814 (-4.3% change). The surname moved up 19 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,835 to #10,816.
FAQ
Woolridge surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Woolridge?
Name Census estimates that about 3,227 living Americans carry the surname Woolridge. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 106,215 residents.
How common is Woolridge?
Woolridge ranks #10,816 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.94 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 2,814 people with the surname Woolridge. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,227), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.94 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.94 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 Woolridge.
Has Woolridge become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Woolridge went from 2,939 recorded bearers to 2,814. That is a decrease of 125 (-4.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #10,835 to #10,816.
What does the Census say about the background of Woolridge?
Among Census respondents with the surname Woolridge, the largest self-reported group is Black at 52.3%. The next largest groups are White (36.4%) and Two or More Races (6.1%). 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 Woolridge in the 2020 Census, accounting for 52.3% (1,473 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Woolridge appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (52.3%), White (36.4%), Two or More Races (6.1%). 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 Woolridge (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 Woolridge mean?
An English locational surname derived from a place meaning "ridge frequented by wolves." 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 Woolridge (0.94 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 surname Woolridge?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.