Eastwood
A habitational surname for someone who lived by, or came from, an east wood or from one of several places called Eastwood.
The #6,470 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 58,842 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Eastwood is a locational surname built from Old English elements meaning “east” and “wood.” In origin it referred either to someone living by an east-facing or eastern wood, or to a person from a place named Eastwood. The name is transparently descriptive and does not point to a trade or personal characteristic.
History
Medieval records show the surname in several English counties, and nineteenth-century surname writers treated it as a place-name surname. Bardsley especially linked it with Yorkshire usage, while Lower noted parish names in Essex and Nottinghamshire; Barber later listed Eastwood as a place-name surname in multiple counties. Because several settlements share the name, the surname likely arose independently in more than one locality.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The same plain-looking pattern produced many English surnames, but Eastwood could arise from more than one village or hamlet, so not every Eastwood family shares a single ancestor.
From the historical record
“shire. EASTWOOD. Parishes in Essex and Nottinghamshire. EASUM. A provincial pronunciation of Evesham, co. Worcester. EASY. EASEY. 1. From indolence of character. 2. The name of some locality ? ECC”
— Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United KingdomNotable people named Eastwood
- Clint Eastwood (b. 1930)
- Scott Eastwood (b. 1986)
Sourced from Wikidata; linked to their Wikipedia page.