Fleetwood
A English locational surname from places named Fleetwood, literally “wood by the stream” or “wood at the tidal channel.”
The #8,611 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 80,845 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Fleetwood is a locational surname. It is usually explained as coming from an English place-name made from Old English fleot, meaning “stream,” “tidal inlet,” or “channel,” plus wudu, “wood.” The sense is therefore something like “the wood by the stream” or “wood near the tidal water.”
History
Nineteenth-century surname writers place the name mainly in Lancashire, and note that the modern town of Fleetwood later grew up there. The surname is therefore older than the town itself, not the other way around. It has remained relatively uncommon, but is well established in English-speaking countries.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The Lancashire town of Fleetwood was much later than the surname; the family name was already in use when the area was still only a small hamlet.
From the historical record
“in cos. Dorset and Lincoln so called. FLEETWOOD. The place from which the name was derived is probably in Lan- cashire, where the family resided in the XV. cent., and in that county a new town bearing this designation has recently sprung into existence under the auspices of Sir Hesketli Fleetwood. FLEGG. Eiist and…”
— Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United Kingdom