WOODSON
Woodson is a surname of English origin, first recorded in the British Isles during the Middle Ages. The name is derived from the Old English words wudu, meaning “wood”, and tun, meaning “enclosure” or “settlement”. Consequently, the surname can be interpreted as describing a person who lived near or in a wooded area.
In addition to the locational meaning, Woodson was also used as a patronymic derived from the Old English word wudu combined with the suffix sunu, meaning “son”. Therefore the name was traditionally understood as “son of the woods” or “son of a person who lived among woodlands”. The suffix may also reflect Viking influence, as the historic name of Yorkshire in Old Norse was Jorvik, and many families in that region incorporated the Norse patronymic -son into their surnames.
Variations of the surname have included Woods, Woodison, Woodeson, and Wooderson. These variants all appear in early medieval records and were used to distinguish between families living in similar woodland settlements or those bearing related occupations.
The earliest surviving document that possibly contains the name is the Book of Fees for the county of Herefordshire, dated 1242. It records an entry for Walter de la Wode, made during the reign of King Henry XI (1216–1272). Subsequent records from the 13th century include John del Wode of Yorkshire (1274), John Atewode of Essex (1274), Elias in le Wode of Cambridgeshire (1279), and William Bythewode of Sussex (1296).
Later historical sources document the surname in the 16th and 17th centuries. For instance, Alex Woodson of Cheshire is recorded in the Oxford University register of 1565. In 1674, George Wooddeson married Mary Balston at Canterbury, and in 1803, John Wooderson married Ann Oliver at St George's Chapel, Hanover Square, Westminster.
Throughout English history, families bearing the Woodson name were involved in local society and occasionally held positions of authority. Many built ancestral homes across the United Kingdom, and their prominence in social, political, and economic affairs has been noted in regional histories.
In modern times, Woodson has become a common surname not only in the United Kingdom but also in the United States and Australia. According to the United States Census of 2020, the surname ranks 573rd nationally and has risen in popularity since 2010, when it was ranked 729th.
Within the United States, the Woodson name is particularly widespread in the southern states. It is the 229th most common surname in Tennessee, 275th in Louisiana, 307th in Mississippi and Alabama, 350th in Georgia, and 406th in South Carolina. Outside the South, it remains common in Ohio, Indiana, Texas, Oklahoma, Missouri, Illinois, and the Northeast, though it has remained relatively low in the West except for California where it ranks 856th.
Notable individuals who share the surname include the American football player Charles Woodson, the botanist Robert Woodson Jr., the musician K. Geoff Woodson, and the actress Sam Woodson. These figures illustrate the surname’s continued presence in contemporary culture.
The history of the Woodson surname, traced through historic documents and demographic records, offers a clear picture of its origins, variations, and geographic spread. The depth of surviving evidence—from medieval legal rolls to modern census data—provides reliable insight into the lineage of families carrying this name, allowing researchers to investigate ancestral connections with a solid factual basis.
Typical given names associated with the Woodson surname
Male
- Roderic
- William
Female
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 Woodson in...
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Morse
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There are approximately 21 people named Woodson in the UK. That makes it one of Britain's least common surnames. Fewer than one in a million people in Britain are named Woodson.
Origin: English
Region of origin: British Isles
Country of origin: England
Religion of origin: Christian
Language of origin: English
Famous people named Woodson
- Charles Woodson - All-American college football player, professional football player, cornerback, Heisman Trophy winne
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.