Woodrum
An English-language surname most likely formed from a place name or topographic term involving a wood and a rough clearing, ridge, or stream-edge settlement.
The #9,583 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 91,022 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Woodrum is best understood as an English surname built from the element "wood," meaning a wooded area, plus a second element that may reflect an old local place-name or dialect word now obscure. In many cases like this, the surname arose from a minor place, farm, or landscape feature rather than from a transparent modern word. The exact second element is uncertain, so the name is usually treated as a topographic or locational surname of English formation.
History
The surname is found chiefly in English-speaking countries, especially the United States, where it likely arrived through British migration and later spread through family lines. In America it became more visible in the South and Appalachia, where many English-derived surnames survived in relatively localized forms. Because the name is uncommon, its spelling may have stabilized late and could reflect regional pronunciation as much as older documentary forms.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Uncommon surnames like Woodrum often preserve old local pronunciations even when the original place name has long disappeared from maps.