CAWOOD
The surname Cawood is an English locational name that originates from villages situated in Yorkshire and Lancashire. It has been recorded as a place name since at least the early medieval period, where it appears in charter entries such as the 1225 Cockersand Chartulary for the Lancashire settlement listed as “Kawode” and the Saxon Chartulary of 972 for the Yorkshire location rendered as “Cawuda”. The earliest extant record of the family name is that of Willelmus de Cawod dated 1370 in the Poll Tax Returns of Yorkshire, during the reign of King Edward the First.
Scholars interpret the toponymation of Cawood through the Old English elements ca, meaning “jackdaw”, and wudu, meaning “wood”. Consequently, the literal meaning that is subsequently associated with the name is “jackdaw wood”. The same semantic interpretation applies to the Lancashire and Yorkshire variants, indicating that early inhabitants lived in or near a wooded area which attracted jackdaws.
In the late fourteenth century the surname began to appear in civil and ecclesiastical records throughout the north of England. For example, Johannes de Cawode is listed as a Freeman of York in 1383, and in 1316 a Robert de Caude is noted in the Yorkshire Subsidy Rolls. These entries demonstrate the mass movement of individuals from the village of Cawood for employment or land‑rent purposes, a phenomenon that spread the surname across counties such as Humberside, Lancashire, Durham, and Cheshire.
During the fifteenth century the Cawoods played a role in national military history. The family is recorded as having served in the Battle of Agincourt in 1415, a decisive engagement of the Hundred Years’ War between England and France, underscoring their active participation in the country’s armed forces.
Co‑taxed historical documents also show that some members of the family relocated beyond the British Isles. In 1635 a Richard Cawood, aged 22, departed for the Barbadoes, signalling the earliest recorded date of migration to the New World for the Cawood surname. Additional migration records include a Robert Cawood who married Elizabeth Campson in Worsborough, Yorkshire on 22 July 1571, with their son Thomas christened at Halifax, Yorkshire on 25 September 1575.
Among heraldic traditions the Cawood family was granted a coat of arms featuring a shield divided per chevron embattled in black and silver, with three harts’ heads cabossed within a bordure per fesse all counterchanged; the bordure is further charged with ten trefoils. This heraldic emblem continues to be associated with the family in contemporary references.
Over the centuries the surname has taken on several variant spellings, including Ceawood, Cawoode, and Calwood, as well as rarer forms such as Cahowd, Coowood, and Cadowd. These variants appear in records across Scotland, Ireland, America, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, illustrating the widespread diaspora of bearers of the name.
In modern times Cawood remains a recognised surname within England, particularly in Yorkshire where its origins lie, and within the wider British Isles. It is also present in the United States, especially in former colonial regions such as Virginia and North Carolina, and appears in smaller numbers in Australia and South Africa. The name continues to be borne by thousands of individuals worldwide, reflecting its enduring heritage and geographical mobility.
Typical given names associated with the Cawood surname
Male
- Andrew
- Anthony
- David
- Ian
- John
- Kevin
- Mark
- Michael
- Patrick
- Peter
- Philip
- Richard
Female
- Anna
- Elizabeth
- Helen
- Janet
- Julie
- Margaret
- Mary
- Nicola
- Patricia
- Sandra
- Sarah
- Susan
Similar and related surnames
Related and similar names are generated algorithmically based on the spelling, and may not necessarily share an etymology.
How to communicate the surname Cawood in...
Braille
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Morse
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There are approximately 1,194 people named Cawood in the UK. That makes it roughly the 6,453rd most common surname in Britain. Around 18 in a million people in Britain are named Cawood.
Surname type: Location or geographical feature
Origin: English
Region of origin: British Isles
Country of origin: England
Religion of origin: Christian
Language of origin: English
Famous people named Cawood
- Sarah Cawood - Television presenter
Names and descriptions courtesy of Wikipedia, and may contain errors. This is not intended to be an exhaustive list of every famous person with this name.