WOODROW
Woodrow is a surname of English origin. It derives from the Old English words wudu meaning wood and raw meaning row or line. The name is therefore a locational surname, originally applied to someone who lived near a row of trees or a wooded area.
The earliest documented spelling of the name is that of William Woderowe, dated 1260, when he appeared as a witness in the Assize Court Rolls of Cambridgeshire during the reign of King Edward I.
Other early records include Juliana de Woderoue and Matilda Woderoue, who are noted in the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex in 1296. In Devonshire, a marriage between Grace Woodrow and John Froggpitt is recorded on 2 November 1579 at Clayhanger.
Several English places bear the name Woodrow, reflecting the topographical nature of the surname. The hamlet of Woodrow in Wiltshire is recorded as La Woderowe in the Close Rolls of 1280; a settlement called Woodrow in Worcestershire appears as Wodrewe in 1505. Further place-names with the same elements are found in Dorset and Buckinghamshire.
Locational surnames were originally given to local landowners or lords of the manor, providing an identifier for those who left their native place to settle elsewhere. Topographical surnames developed from residence by or near distinctive natural or man-made features in the landscape.
In the nineteenth century, the surname Woodrow travelled to the United States with English emigrants. It became especially common in the South and the Midwest, with high concentrations recorded in states such as Mississippi, Alabama and Arkansas. The name is now much rarer in Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland, New Zealand, Australia and South Africa, where only a few families retain it as a legacy of earlier migration.
Among individuals of note bearing the Woodrow name is Henry Woodrow (1823–1876), an M.A. from Rugby and Caius College, Cambridge, who served as director of public instruction in Bengal in 1876.
There are several variants of the surname, including Woodrowe, Woodrou, Woodrood, Woodruff, Woodrough, Woodrowgh, Woodrome and occasionally Woodrew or Woodroe. In Scotland, variants such as Woodruffe, Woodriffe and Woodroffe are also found.
Today the surname Woodrow remains in use in England and abroad, its heritage reflecting a longstanding association with the natural environment of the British landscape.
Typical given names associated with the Woodrow surname
Male
- Christopher
- David
- John
- Lee
- Mark
- Michael
- Paul
- Peter
- Richard
- Stephen
- William
Female
- Barbara
- Christine
- Elizabeth
- Emma
- Helen
- Julie
- Lisa
- Margaret
- Mary
- Sarah
- Sharon
- 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 Woodrow in...
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Did you know?
According to a survey carried out by Democracy Club, politicians and candidates with the surname Woodrow are most likely to say that their favourite biscuit is a Custard Cream.
There are approximately 2,997 people named Woodrow in the UK. That makes it roughly the 2,996th most common surname in Britain. Around 46 in a million people in Britain are named Woodrow.
Origin: English
Region of origin: British Isles
Country of origin: England
Religion of origin: Christian
Language of origin: English
Famous people named Woodrow
- Cauley Woodrow - Football player
- Bill Woodrow - Sculptor
- Joash Woodrow - Artist (1927 to 2006)
- James Woodrow - (1828 to 1907)
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.