Woodford
A place-based surname meaning “dweller by the ford near the wood.”
The #6,757 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 61,885 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Woodford is a locational surname from places named Woodford in England. The name comes from Old English elements meaning “wood” (wudu) and “ford,” so its sense is “the ford by the wood.” Historical spellings often appear as Wodeford or similar forms, reflecting Middle English pronunciation and spelling habits.
History
The surname arose independently from more than one English place called Woodford, especially those in Wiltshire and Essex, and probably others in related records. It is a classic English local surname: people were identified by the village or parish they came from, and the place-name then became hereditary. The name is recorded in medieval and early modern documents in several spellings, including Woodforde.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Harrison notes an old Anglo-Saxon dative form of the place-name, showing how far back the name’s roots go in English records.
From the historical record
“wudufiti] WOODFORD \ (Eng.) Bel. to Woodford ; or WOODFORDE J Dweller at the Ford by the Wood [O.E. wudu -f ford] Tlie M.E. form was usually Wodeford, as in the case of the Wilts and Soms. places. The A.-Sax. dat. form was 't6 Wudaforda,' as in a Hants charter dated”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)