Sherwood
A habitational surname from Sherwood Forest in Nottinghamshire, famed as the setting of Robin Hood legends.
The #1,685 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 14,438 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Sherwood comes from the name of Sherwood Forest in Nottinghamshire. The place-name was recorded in early forms such as Scirwudu, which is usually explained as Old English elements meaning either "bright wood" or, less certainly, "shire wood". The surname therefore originally identified someone who lived near or came from that forested district.
History
Historical surname dictionaries treat Sherwood as a classic English local surname. It is especially associated with Nottinghamshire, and the forest’s fame through Robin Hood gave the name a strong literary and folkloric resonance. Some 19th-century writers also speculated that related forms like Sherratt or Sherard could have developed from Sherwood, though that is not certain.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Early forms of the place-name go back to the 10th century, long before Robin Hood made Sherwood famous.
From the historical record
“Friend [O.E. scir + wine, friend] SHERWOOD (Eng.) Bel. to Sherwood (jNotts), 14th cent. Sherwode, Shyrwode, 13th cent. Scher{e)wode, Scirewode, a.d. 958 Scirwudu : [the first element is ratherO.E.srfr,bright, fight-coloured (cp. the Ger. Klarholz), than O.E. 5«V, district, shire]”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)