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Origins of the Wood surname

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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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I’ve managed to trace back to the mid-1500s! I can’t believe it! Utterly engrossing and I have uncovered some quite moving and heartbreaking stories attached to various ancestors. You don’t need any qualifications to start - just time patience, and some information.

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Delve deeper into the Wood family's history

Where do most Woods live?

In 1921, most Woods lived in Yorkshire.


Census records trace your ancestors through each generation, so you can follow where your relatives lived through each decade.

Interesting facts about Woods

How common is your surname?

17th most common surname in the UK

We have 965,000 records for the Wood surname. The oldest one dates back to 1086.

Who were Woods most likely to marry?

Smiths

&

Browns

Our Marriage record sets tell us which families married Woods.

What are the most common Wood first names?

  • John
  • William
  • Mary
  • Elizabeth

Our birth record sets tell us the names of Wood family members

Common jobs for Woods

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

Common 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

Common Male occupations for Woods in 1921
Coal Miner

4,067

Agricultural Labourer

3,210

General Labourer

3,184

Farmer

2,817

Carpenter

2,077

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Census records provide incredible detail on names, ages, marital statuses, occupations and more.

We found over 980,000 family trees with the Wood surname

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