The Woodman surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 5,505 people carried this name — #6,213 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 53,500 people counted. That is up 3% from 5,319 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Woodman surname

As an English and Welsh surname

Bardsley classes it as an occupational name: ‘the woodman’ — the first of the origins he gives.

An early record he cites: Thomas Wodemund, Oxfordshire, 1273 — Hundred Rolls.

From Charles W. Bardsley, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with Special American Instances (London: Henry Frowde, 1901), p. 825 · public domain.

In Argentina’s national register

At least 57 people named Woodman live in Argentina.

RENAPER only publishes a name in a province when more than ten people there share it, so the real number is higher. Most of them live in Buenos Aires Province.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they live today

Buenos Aires Province 45
Entre Ríos 12

RENAPER (National Registry of Persons, Argentina), surnames of residents by province, December 2021 — CC BY 4.0.

Among the farmers of England and Wales, 1880s

Woodman was found among the farmers of 2 counties.

It was most frequent in Northumberland: 37 in every 10,000 farmers there — about 1 in 270. Guppy counted the farmers listed in each county’s directory and recorded a name only where it reached about 7 in every 10,000; where it does not appear, it was rarer than that, not absent.

Where it concentrates, on the map

Per 10,000 farmers, by county

Northumberland 37
Middlesex 26

H. B. Guppy, «Homes of Family Names in Great Britain» (London, 1890), alphabetical list of English and Welsh names — public domain · farmers in Kelly’s Post Office Directories of the 1880s, per 10,000 farmers in each county.

In the first U.S. census, 1790

97 Woodman families were counted in 1790.

Each family is counted by its head. About 563 people lived in those households, 5.8 to a family on average. 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

Maine 32
New Hampshire 25
Massachusetts 19
Rhode Island 9
Pennsylvania 5
Vermont 2
North Carolina 2
Connecticut 1
Maryland 1
South Carolina 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

Woodman in American newspapers,
1919.

Newspaper page from Evening Star carrying the name Woodman
Evening Star 1919-03-02
Newspaper page from Evening Star carrying the name Woodman
Evening Star 1919-03-09
Newspaper page from Evening Star carrying the name Woodman
Evening Star 1919-10-26

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

In print

Woodman in Australian newspapers,
1830s–1990s.

22,817 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Woodman. The most, 3,275, date from the 1930s. South Australia has the most articles, but weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, the name stands out most in the Northern Territory, at 3.5 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

South Australia 7,548
New South Wales 4,884
Victoria 3,670
Western Australia 3,637
Queensland 1,892
Tasmania 884
ACT (Canberra) 178
Northern Territory 117

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

Who carried it

People named Woodman,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Thomas Copeland Woodman d. 1849 · naval officer
  • John Woodman d. 1481 · Catholic priest
  • Mary Dorothea Borwick d. 1915
  • Leonard Cecil Woodman d. 1917
  • Alice Mary Woodman d. 1951
  • Emily Woodman d. 1905

Wikidata (CC0) · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Woodman,
in the records of 7 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 States660 records

660 records of the Woodman name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 171
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 158
  • Other U.S. records 331
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record George S. Woodman

    Born 1907 in Massachusetts. Enlisted 1943 at Boston; secondary school teacher. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1993, buried at Massachusetts National Cemetery, Massachusetts.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Mary Woodman

    Arrived at New York in 1883 aboard the City of Paris from Liverpool and Queenstown, aged 21; servant. From Ireland; bound for New York.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)
  3. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Russell H. Woodman

    Born 1930; from Franklin County, Maine. U.S. Army, light weapons infantryman; killed in action 1951 in North Korea.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain)

Showing 3 of 660 records for Woodman in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · 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) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain).

Australia583 records

583 records of the Woodman name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 290
  • Victoria wills and probate, deaths to 2001 130
  • Other Australian records 163
  1. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Thomas Edward Woodman

    Born 1855 in Launceston, Tasmania. Married 1882 in Beaconsfield, Tasmania, aged 27.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  2. 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 William Woodman

    Transported to New South Wales aboard the Bengal Merchant, arriving 1838; ticket of leave 1846.

    Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY)
  3. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Agnes Mary Woodman

    Gentlewoman of Tatura, Victoria; died 1973.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 583 records for Woodman in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · State Library of Western Australia (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain); 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).

Canada310 records

310 records of the Woodman name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 252
  • Canadian Virtual War Memorial 17
  • Other Canadian records 41
  1. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record John Woodman

    Came to Ontario in 1872 aboard the Prussian, landing at Quebec, bound for Woodvill, Ontario; English.

    Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario.
  2. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Alice Woodman

    Died 1988, aged 78; buried at Transcona Cemetery, Winnipeg, Manitoba.

    City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg.
  3. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Frank Alvin Woodman

    Died 1949 in Conway, Digby, Nova Scotia.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.

Showing 3 of 310 records for Woodman 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 Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. · Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

United Kingdom41 records

41 records of the Woodman name in the United Kingdom
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 24
  • St James's burial ground, Euston (London), 1789–1853 13
  • Welsh wills index cards 4
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Mary Woodman

    Buried in 1815 at St James's burial ground, Euston, London, aged 60.

    MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
  2. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Sarah Woodman

    Will proved in 1924; of Swansea.

    National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0)
  3. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record A. G. Woodman

    Durham Light Infantry. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1919.

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

Showing 3 of 41 records for Woodman in the United Kingdom.

Counts: National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. · National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain); C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0).

Netherlands32 records

32 records of the Woodman name in the Netherlands
  • Dutch population registers 26
  • Dutch civil registers (births, marriages, deaths) 5
  • Dutch church registers before 1811 1
  1. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Edith Ellen Woodman

    Married in 1906 in Haarlem. Died 1926 in Haarlem, aged 69.

    Open Archives, Noord-Hollands Archief (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the 1910 United States census, Milwaukee
    Example: U.S. census, 1910
    Population register Frank Woodman

    In the population register of Manchester (Gb); student, born 1902 in Manchester (Gb).

    Open Archives, West Brabants Archief (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Barbara Alice Woodman

    Died 1940 in Almelo, aged 39.

    Open Archives, Collectie Overijssel locatie Zwolle (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 32 records for Woodman in the Netherlands.

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain); U.S. census of 1910, Milwaukee (public domain); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

New Zealand6 records

6 records of the Woodman name in New Zealand
  • Christchurch City cemetery records 5
  • Marlborough District cemetery records 1
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Betsy Ellen Woodman

    Died 1943, aged 85; buried at Picton Cemetery, Marlborough.

    Marlborough District Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Ellen Woodman

    Died 1926, aged 47; buried at Bromley Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Elizabeth Woodman

    Died 1891, aged 75; buried at Linwood Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 6 records for Woodman 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).

France1 record

1 record of the Woodman name in France France's national death register, 1970–2001
  1. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record William Frank Georges Woodman

    Born 1922 in Paris; died 1997 in Niort (Deux-Sèvres).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Counts: Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Death register of Nice, 1930, Archives départementales des Alpes-Maritimes (public domain).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Woodman.

When the index is not enough

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

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