WOOD
Wood Surname
The surname Wood is of English origin and derives from the Old English word wudu, meaning “wood” or “forest”. It belongs to the class of locational or geographical‑feature surnames that developed in the British Isles during the early Middle Ages. As a topographical name, it originally denoted a person who dwelt near or worked in a woodland, and it may also have been applied to individuals whose livelihood was tied to the forest, such as foresters.
Early documentary evidence shows the name in a variety of spellings, including Wood, Woode, Woodd, Wod, Wode, as well as the plural forms Woods and Woodes. The earliest recorded instance is believed to be Walter de la Wode, found in the “Fines Court” rolls of Herefordshire in 1242, during the reign of King Henry III. Subsequent medieval records include Roger del Wode of Yorkshire (1274), John Atewode of Essex (1274), William in le Wode of Cambridgeshire (1279) and Henry Bythewode of Sussex (1296). In Scotland the name appears as early as 1295, when William Wod acted as a witness at Cawdor.
Parish registers from the mid‑sixteenth century record baptisms such as Judy Wode at St Margaret’s, Westminster (28 October 1549) and Margarett, daughter of John Wood, at St Nicholas Acons, London (18 October 1550). The surname soon spread beyond the British Isles; an early emigrant, John Wood, aged twenty‑six, embarked from London on 2 January 1634 and settled in Virginia, illustrating the name’s participation in the colonisation of America.
Because of its simple derivation from a common natural feature, the surname Wood became widely distributed throughout England and, later, the wider English‑speaking world. Its persistence reflects both the linguistic continuity of Old English elements in modern British surnames and the historical importance of woodland environments in medieval society.
Typical given names associated with the Wood surname
Male
- Andrew
- Christopher
- David
- James
- John
- Michael
- Paul
- Peter
- Robert
- Stephen
Female
- Christine
- Elizabeth
- Emma
- Helen
- Julie
- Karen
- Margaret
- Mary
- Nicola
- Patricia
- 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 Wood in...
Braille
⠺⠕⠕⠙
Morse
.---------..
Semaphore
Did you know?
According to a survey carried out by Democracy Club, politicians and candidates with the surname Wood are most likely to say that their favourite biscuit is a Ginger Nut.
There are approximately 148,262 people named Wood in the UK. That makes it the 24th most common surname in Britain. Around 2,277 in a million people in Britain are named Wood.
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 Wood
- Ronnie Wood - Rock musician, member of The Rolling Stones
- Evan Rachel Wood - American actress and singer
- Fearne Wood - BBC Radio 1 DJ and TV presenter
- Natalie Wood - American actress (1938 to 1981)
- Aimee Lou Wood - Actress
- Edward Wood, 1st Earl of Halifax - Politician (1881 to 1959)
- John Wood - Actor (1930 to 2011)
- Victoria Wood - Comedian (1953 to 2016)
- Elijah Wood - American actor
- Roy Wood - Rock musician; singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist
- Jesse Wood - Musican
- Levison Wood - Explorer and author
- Jake Wood - Actor
- Dominic Wood - Magician
- James Wood - Literary critic
- Chris Wood - American actor
- Leanne Wood - Welsh Plaid Cymru politician
- Michael Wood - Historian and broadcaster
- Stuart John Wood - Musician
- Ian Wood - Scottish businessman
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.