Woodall
A surname usually meaning “the person from the wood hall” or a place named Woodhall.
The #2,243 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 18,988 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Woodall is generally explained as a locational surname, a spelling variant of Woodhall. The name points to a dwelling or place described by the Old English elements wudu, meaning “wood,” and hall or heall, meaning “hall” or “hall-like building.” In other words, it most likely meant someone who lived by or came from a “wood hall,” a house or settlement near woodland.
History
Historical references treat Woodall as a variant of Woodhall, and the surname could arise independently from more than one place called Woodhall in England. English parish and census records show the name in several counties, and it later appears in the United States through immigration and family migration. The spelling Woodall became established enough to stand on its own, even though its origin is tied to the place-name form Woodhall.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Early surname writers often grouped Woodall with other “wood-” names because the ending -hall was sometimes reduced or simplified in spelling over time.
From the historical record
“Mids. Night'sDream (ed. 1623), II. i. 192. WOODALL for Woodhall, q.v. WOODARD (Eng.) i the 13th cent. pers. name Wodard, 12th cent. Wiidard [prob. f. O.E. wudu, wood -f- h(e)nrd, hard] 2 Wood-Herd (the herd who tended in the wood) [O.E. wudu ■\- hierde] Richard le Wodehirde. — Hund. Rolls.”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)