Woodcock

Woodcock is an English surname of occupational origin. The name is derived from the Middle English words "wode" meaning wood or forest, and "cok" meaning cock or rooster. As such, the surname likely originally referred to someone who lived near a wood inhabited by woodcocks, a type of game bird.

The Woodcock surname is believed to have originated in various parts of England, with concentrations of families bearing this name found in counties such as Lancashire, Yorkshire, and Kent.

Notable individuals bearing the Woodcock surname include (for example) Henry Woodcock, an English cricketer who played for Derbyshire in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Over time, the Woodcock surname may have taken on variant forms such as Woodcok and Woodcook. The name continues to be found in present-day England and among the British diaspora around the world.

There are approximately 14,244 people named Woodcock in the UK. That makes it the 624th most common surname in Britain. Around 219 in a million people in Britain are named Woodcock.

Origin: English

Region of origin: British Isles

Country of origin: England

Religion of origin: Christian

Language of origin: English

Typical given names associated with the surname

Male

  • Andrew
  • Christopher
  • David
  • James
  • John
  • Mark
  • Michael
  • Paul
  • Peter
  • Robert
  • Stephen

Female

  • Christine
  • Elizabeth
  • Emma
  • Helen
  • Jean
  • Joanne
  • Karen
  • Margaret
  • Mary
  • Nicola
  • Sarah
  • Susan

Similar and related surnames

Related and similar names are generated algorithmically based on the spelling, and may not necessarily share an etymology.

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