SMALLWOOD
The surname Smallwood is of English origin. It is a locational or topographical name that derives from the Old English words smæl, meaning “small”, and wudu, meaning “wood”. The literal sense of the name is therefore “small wood” or “small forest”, and it was originally used to identify individuals who lived near or within such a wooded area.
The place called Smallwood, situated near Astbury in Cheshire, is recorded in the Charter Rolls of Cheshire in 1252 as Smaleuuod. The place-name meaning “the narrow wood” is based on earlier Old English terminologies, including the pre‑7th‑century term smael meaning “narrow, small”, combined with wudu for “wood”. As a locational surname, it was acquired by people who moved away from Smallwood and were identified by the name of their home place. As a topographical surname, it described those who resided near a narrow or small wood.
Early records of the surname include a John del Smalwode in London in 1332 and an Elizabetha Smallwode in Yorkshire in 1379. Later wills lodged in Chester between 1545 and 1620 mention a Randle Smallwood of Middlewich in 1592. The first confirmed spelling is that of William Smalwud in the Essex Curia Rolls of 1220, during the reign of King Henry VIII.
Variations of the surname have been recorded over the centuries, including Smalwood, Smalwode, Smolwood, Smallwod, Smellwood, Smillwood and Smillie. The spelling Smallwode appears in a 1332 charter. These variants arise from differing phonetic spellings and the lack of a standardised orthography in early modern England.
In contemporary Britain the surname remains most common in the Midlands, particularly in Cheshire, Staffordshire, Derbyshire, Yorkshire and Lancashire. Outside the United Kingdom it is predominantly found in the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. In the United States it has its strongest concentrations in the Southern states, especially Georgia, Mississippi and Alabama.
Notable individuals bearing the surname include Joseph R. Smallwood, the first Premier of Newfoundland, Canada, and the musician Richard Smallwood, a Grammy‑nominated gospel artist. These figures illustrate the surname’s continued presence in public life.
Typical given names associated with the Smallwood surname
Male
- Andrew
- David
- James
- John
- Mark
- Peter
- Richard
- Robert
- Stephen
- William
Female
- Elizabeth
- Helen
- Janet
- Jean
- Karen
- Margaret
- Mary
- Nicola
- Patricia
- Sarah
- Susan
- Victoria
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 Smallwood in...
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There are approximately 4,669 people named Smallwood in the UK. That makes it roughly the 2,016th most common surname in Britain. Around 72 in a million people in Britain are named Smallwood.
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 Smallwood
- Rod Smallwood - Music manager
- Richard Smallwood - Football player
- Alastair Smallwood - Rugby union player (1892 to 1985)
- Neil Smallwood - Football player
- Gerald Smallwood - Army general (1889 to 1977)
- Jonathan Smallwood - Psychologist
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.