WOODALL
The surname Woodall is of distinctly English origin, formed from the Old English words wudu, meaning “wood”, and either healh – a nook, corner or remote valley – or hall, historically a built enclosure within a forest. The name therefore denoted a person who resided in or was associated with a secluded wooded area.
As a locational surname it was applied to individuals whose home lay near a wooded corner or an estate hall situated within a forest. The earliest documentary evidence dates to the late 12th century. In the Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire, dated 1193, a man recorded as Peter de (of) Wudehale is the first known bearer, during the reign of King Richard the Lionheart. Subsequent medieval records include Jordan de la Wodehalle in Yorkshire in 1265 and Adam de Wodhal in 1379.
Later sources also note the appearance of John of Wodhaw as a witness in Peebles, marking the first recorded Scottish use of the name. By the early 17th century, a marriage between Thomas Woodall of Hertfordshire and Alice Jeffereys was recorded in London, further evidence of the family’s presence in south‑central England.
The surname is historically attached to several localities called Woodhall across England – for example, in Hertfordshire, Lincolnshire and Yorkshire – as well as in the Scottish counties of East Lothian and Dumfriesshire. The place names themselves derive from the same Old English roots, reflecting the close relationship between family identity and geography.
Beyond the British Isles the name travelled widely. In the 16th and 17th centuries, several Woodalls emigrated to North America, with records of families settling in the Southern colonies. Today the surname is most commonly found in the United States, especially in Texas and Virginia; it is also represented in Australia, Canada, New Zealand and various European countries.
The spelling of the name has varied through time, giving rise to variants such as Woodhall, Woodhull, Woodhill, Woddell and Woddall. In some historical accounts the surname is interpreted as occupational, implying a person who kept or managed a woodland. This dual hypothesis – locational or occupational – is reflected in the diversity of early records and in the wide geographic spread of the family name.
In the United Kingdom, the most frequent variant remains Woodall, with significant concentrations in the East Midlands and surrounding counties. In Scotland the spelling Woodhall predominates, while in the United States the spelling Woodall is most common in the Northern states and Woddell or Woddall appears in the South.
By the late 20th and early 21st centuries the surname Woodall has become genuinely global, its bearers dispersed across continents while retaining an awareness of the name’s English roots. The variety of recorded spellings and the considerable geographical spread attest to the enduring nature of this family name, rooted in the natural landscape of medieval England yet adapted to new cultural contexts around the world.
Typical given names associated with the Woodall surname
Male
- Andrew
- Christopher
- David
- Ian
- James
- John
- Mark
- Michael
- Paul
- Peter
- Richard
Female
- Caroline
- Claire
- Emma
- Jane
- Julie
- Karen
- Lisa
- Margaret
- Mary
- 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 Woodall in...
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There are approximately 4,821 people named Woodall in the UK. That makes it roughly the 1,958th most common surname in Britain. Around 74 in a million people in Britain are named Woodall.
Origin: English
Region of origin: British Isles
Country of origin: England
Religion of origin: Christian
Language of origin: English
Famous people named Woodall
- Trinny Woodall - Fashion advisor and designer, television presenter and author
- Corbet Woodall - Actor (1929 to 1982)
- Lee Woodall - American football player
- Joseph Edward Woodall - Recipient of the Victoria Cross (1896 to 1962)
- Alec Woodall - Politician (1918 to 2011)
- John Woodall - Football player
- Jonnie Woodall - (1946 to 2009)
- Brian Woodall - Football player
- Arthur Woodall - Football player (1930 to 1975)
- Brian Woodall - Football player (1948 to 2007)
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.