Surname Wooddy - Meaning and Origin

Wooddy: What does the surname Wooddy mean?

The last name Wooddy is believed to originate from England. It is believed to have begun as a locational surname referring to those from an area called Wooddy in Devon, England. The name Wooddy is a topographical name, which is a name for someone who lives on or near a physical feature, such as a hill, stream, church, or type of tree. In this case, the name relates to a wood or forest.

The name Wooddy is thought to have several potential meanings, including "someone who lives near a wood” or “one who lives near a clearing". It may also refer to someone who lived close to a forest or a family who owned a clearing in the woods and tended to it, thus “Wooddy” meaning “one who works with wood”. The name became especially popular in the south of England due to proximity to forests and fields.

It is unknown how far back the Wooddy surname goes but records of the name date back to the 15th century in parts of England. Records of the name can be found in the London area, as well as countries such as Ireland, Scotland, and Wales.

Today, the Wooddy surname is associated with its original forest-related meaning and is found across many English-speaking countries, particularly in England, the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.

Wooddy: Where does the name Wooddy come from?

The last name Wooddy is most common in the United States, particularly in the northeast. It's an uncommon surname, so much of the population with this last name is concentrated in this region.

According to the 2020 US Census, the states where the last name Wooddy is most common are West Virginia, Maryland, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts. In West Virginia, it is the 888th most common last name. In Maryland, it is the 1,376th most common last name. In New Hampshire, it is the 1,227th most common last name. Lastly, in Massachusetts, it is the 1,785th most common last name.

In addition to the northeast, the last name Wooddy is also found in parts of the Midwest, particularly in Michigan and Ohio. The last name Wooddy is also becoming increasingly common in the western states of California, Arizona, and Washington.

The last name Wooddy can trace its roots back to England, where it is spelled similarly as Wooddy or wouldy. The earliest known record of the surname dates back to 1250 in the Norfolk village of Wooddy. It is believed that the modern version of the last name originated in the late eighteenth century in Virginia, where the spelling changed to reflect American pronunciation.

Variations of the surname Wooddy

The surname Wooddy has a variety of variants, spellings, and surnames with the same origin. These variants have arisen over the centuries due to individual variations in spelling, as well as the regional variations of the language used at the time.

The variant spellings of Wooddy include Waudy, Wawdye, Wodde, Woddy, Woddy. These alternate names have their roots in the Middle English language, originating from the pre-7th century word “wode,” which was used to refer to swampland.

The surnames of the same origin include Waddy, Wadding, Wadley, Weddleson, Weddlie, and Wodle. These surnames are of Old English derivation and stem from the Old English word “wad,” which means an open piece of ground used for pasture.

The surname Wooddy could also have derived from the Middle High German word “wurt” which denotes a manor house stripped of its inhabitants and/or its tenantry. This alternate theory for the origin of the surname Wooddy suggests a migration from Germany into the British Isles.

The surname Wooddy may also have arisen from the occupation of a worker who traded in wood. This occupational name was usually used in reference to those whose work was related to wood or timber.

The surname Wooddy has many variants, spellings, and surnames of the same origin. These variants and alternate surnames are derived from Middle English, Old English, and Middle High German words and could relate to the occupation of a woodworker, the migration of German settlers into the British Isles, or the use of meadow or marshland.

Famous people with the name Wooddy

• Jason Wooddy: an American former baseball pitcher.
• Dan Wooddy: an American actor, director, and producer.
• Alison Wooddy: a British singer-songwriter.
• André Wooddy: a French former professional footballer.
• Reggie Wooddy: an American professional basketball player.
• Samantha Wooddy: an American actress, model, and singer.
• Mark Wooddy: an American professional wrestler best known for his time in World Championship Wrestling (WCW).
• Gorman Wooddy: an American professional baseball player who played for six teams from 1911 to 1929.
• Lucifer Wooddy: an American musician, actor, and producer, best known for his work in various alternative rock and punk bands from the 1980s and 1990s.
• Sydney Wooddy: an American professional golfer who played on the PGA Tour and the LPGA Tour.

Other surnames

Wooddall