The Woodbury surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 7,144 people carried this name — #4,924 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 41,300 people counted. That is up 3% from 6,908 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Woodbury surname

A habitational surname from Old English.

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Woodbury» (English), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.

As an English and Welsh surname

Bardsley classes it as a local name, from where the family lived: ‘of Woodbury’.

An early record he cites: David de Wodebir, Devon, 1273 — Hundred Rolls.

From Charles W. Bardsley, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with Special American Instances (London: Henry Frowde, 1901), p. 823 · public domain.

In the first U.S. census, 1790

149 families named Woodbury, or a close spelling, were counted in 1790.

Each family is counted by its head. About 835 people lived in those households, 5.6 to a family on average. The table counts it together with 3 other spellings. The table lists white heads of families only, in the twelve states whose 1790 records survive; Virginia’s figures come from state lists of 1782–1785.

Families, by state

Massachusetts 101
New Hampshire 27
Maine 10
Vermont 4
South Carolina 4
Rhode Island 1
Connecticut 1
New York 1

U.S. Census Bureau, «A Century of Population Growth from the First Census of the United States to the Twelfth, 1790–1900» (Washington, 1909), table 111, p. 269 — public domain · names carried by at least 100 white persons in 1790.

In print

Woodbury in American newspapers,
1898–1909.

Newspaper page from The Middlesborough News carrying the name Woodbury
The Middlesborough News 1898-01-08
Newspaper page from The Dillon Herald carrying the name Woodbury
The Dillon Herald 1909-05-06

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain.

In print

Woodbury in Australian newspapers,
1810s–1990s.

8,757 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Woodbury. The most, 2,480, date from the 1920s. Weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, it stands out most in New South Wales, at 2.3 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 6,775
Victoria 609
Queensland 545
Western Australia 376
Tasmania 259
South Australia 93
ACT (Canberra) 40
Northern Territory 3

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Woodbury.

Who carried it

People named Woodbury,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Levi Woodbury
    Levi Woodbury 1789–1851 · judge
  • Daniel Phineas Woodbury
    Daniel Phineas Woodbury 1812–1864 · military engineer
  • Thomas White Woodbury
    Thomas White Woodbury 1818–1871 · beekeeper
  • Charles Levi Woodbury
    Charles Levi Woodbury 1820–1898 · politician
  • Moses Davis Woodbury
    Moses Davis Woodbury 1821–1897 · politician
  • Anna Woodbury 1626–1701

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0 · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Woodbury,
in the records of 5 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States507 records

507 records of the Woodbury name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 215
  • U.S. veterans' cemetery records, burials to 2001 103
  • Other U.S. records 189
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Earl N. Woodbury

    Born 1920 in New Hampshire. Enlisted 1942 at Manchester; surveyor. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 2000, buried at New Hampshire State Cemetery, Boscawen, New Hampshire.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Wesley R. Woodbury

    Born 1930; from Concord, Vermont. U.S. Army, light weapons infantry leader; killed in action 1952 in North Korea.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Jesse L. Woodbury

    Arrived at New York in 1890 aboard the Majestic from Liverpool, aged 23; servant. From England.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)

Showing 3 of 507 records for Woodbury in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · City of Asheville (public domain, PDDL) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain) · Ramsey County, Minnesota (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Canada223 records

223 records of the Woodbury name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 213
  • Canadian Virtual War Memorial 4
  • Other Canadian records 6
  1. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Lillian Sophia Woodbury

    Died 1958 in Middleton, Annapolis, Nova Scotia.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.
  2. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Blanche Woodbury

    Buried in 1995 at Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver, British Columbia.

    City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver.
  3. A Canadian First World War grave register card for a soldier who died of wounds in 1917
    Example: Canadian war grave register, 1917
    War record James Melvin Woodbury

    Died in service in 1918.

    Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada.

Showing 3 of 223 records for Woodbury in Canada.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · City of Niagara Falls. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Niagara Falls. · Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0); Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0); Canadian First World War circumstances-of-death register (scan by Scottgraham87 via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0).

Australia80 records

80 records of the Woodbury name in Australia
  • Tasmanian Names Index 34
  • NSW convict, estate and railway indexes 16
  • Other Australian records 30
  1. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record John Woodbury

    Transported to New South Wales aboard the Hindostan, arriving 1821; ticket of leave 1833. Native of Bristol.

    Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY)
  2. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record William J. G. Woodbury

    Gentleman of Moe, Victoria; died 1983.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record John Woodbury

    Arrived in Victoria in 1853 as an assisted immigrant aboard the Ida, aged 35.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 80 records for Woodbury in Australia.

Counts: Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · ACT Government, Transport Canberra and City Services (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Prison-ship in Portsmouth Harbour, with the convicts going on board, etching by Edward William Cooke, 1829, Royal Museums Greenwich (public domain); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

New Zealand21 records

21 records of the Woodbury name in New Zealand
  • Christchurch City cemetery records 19
  • Marlborough District cemetery records 2
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Thomas Cyril Woodbury

    Died 1985, aged 76; buried at Ruru Lawn, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Dulcie Miriam Woodbury

    Died 1984, aged 73; buried at Fairhall Cemetery, Marlborough.

    Marlborough District Council (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Thomas Woodbury

    Died 1936, aged 55; buried at Bromley Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 21 records for Woodbury in New Zealand.

Counts: Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0) · Marlborough District Council (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

United Kingdom2 records

2 records of the Woodbury name in the United Kingdom War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead
  1. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record J. Woodbury

    Cheshire Regiment. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1918.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)

Showing 1 of 2 records for Woodbury in the United Kingdom.

Counts: National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Woodbury.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Woodbury is.
A volume says what happened to it.

Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.

See the Woodbury volume
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