Origins of the Wood surname

What does the name Wood mean?

The origin of the Wood surname is mostly geographic. It's a British name (26th most popular in England and Wales, 53rd most popular in Scotland) found as early as the 1200s, common throughout the English-speaking world (78th most prevalent in the United States) and is most often used to describe someone who lived or worked in some form of wood or forest. More rarely, the surname Wood can be an anglicisation of the German Wald, or derive from the nickname for someone 'wild', from the Old English 'wod'.

Alternative variations of the name Wood

Wood, Woode, Woods, Wode, Woud

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Delve deeper into the Wood family's history

OrkneyShetlandHighlandsWestern IslesGrampianTaysideCentralStrathclydeFifeLothianBordersDumfriesNorth East 4620North West 4283Isle of Man 126Yorkshire 20502East Midlands 3109West Midlands 6536East 5227London 18022South East 7596South West 1665South Wales 634Mid Wales 95West Wales 19North Wales 276Republic of IrelandNorthern Ireland

In 1921, most Woods lived in yorkshire

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Interesting facts about Wood

How common is your surname?

17th most common surname in the UK

We have for the Wood surname. The oldest one dates back to 1086.

Who were Woods most likely to marry?

Our tell us which families married Woods.

What are the most common Wood first names?

John

William

Mary

Elizabeth

Our tell us the names of Wood family members
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Census records provide incredible detail on names, ages, marital statuses, occupations and more.

Common jobs for Woods

Men and women often performed different types of jobs, so these are displayed by gender to maintain their historical accuracy.

Commmon female occupations for Woods in 1921

Dressmaker

3,964

Domestic Servant

2,312

Cotton Weaver

2,277

Laundress

2,075

General Servant Domestic

1,853

Commmon male occupations for Woods in 1921

Coal Miner

4,067

Agricultural Labourer

3,210

General Labourer

3,184

Farmer

2,817

Carpenter

2,077

We found over 1,000,000 family trees with the Wood surname

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