The Woodruff surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 26,286 people carried this name — #1,341 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 11,200 people counted. That is up 3% from 25,626 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Woodruff surname

As an English and Welsh surname

Bardsley classes it as a name of office: ‘the woodreeve’.

An early record he cites: John Woderove, Oxfordshire, 1273 — Hundred Rolls.

His entry covers Woodroffe, Woodrooffe and Woodruff.

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

In the first U.S. census, 1790

144 families named Woodruff, or a close spelling, were counted in 1790.

Each family is counted by its head. About 872 people lived in those households, 6.1 to a family on average. The table counts it together with 5 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

Connecticut 93
New York 17
Pennsylvania 9
Massachusetts 8
South Carolina 7
Virginia 5
Vermont 2
North Carolina 2
Maine 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

Woodruff in American newspapers,
1899–1920.

Newspaper page from The Philipsburg Mail carrying the name Woodruff
The Philipsburg Mail 1899-01-20
Newspaper page from The Circle Banner carrying the name Woodruff
The Circle Banner 1920-09-10
Newspaper page from The Wolf Point Herald carrying the name Woodruff
The Wolf Point Herald 1920-09-09

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 370,612 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Woodruff in Australian newspapers,
1840s–1990s.

11,048 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Woodruff. The most, 2,849, date from the 1870s. Weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, it stands out most in Victoria, at 2.6 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

Victoria 7,471
New South Wales 1,347
Queensland 720
Western Australia 650
Tasmania 445
South Australia 337
ACT (Canberra) 59
Northern Territory 7

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

Who carried it

People named Woodruff,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Truman Woodruff d. 2007 · physicist
  • Frank Morley Woodruff d. 1926 · curator
  • Claude Woodruff d. 2009
  • Matthew Woodruff 1612–1682
  • John Woodruff 1643–1692
  • Matthew Woodruff 1646–1691

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

In the public record

People named Woodruff,
in the records of 4 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 States2,418 records

2,418 records of the Woodruff name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 949
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 618
  • U.S. veterans' cemetery records, burials to 2001 399
  • New York State death index (outside NYC), 1957–2001 259
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 102
  • U.S. alien registration index, 1940–1955 67
  • Irish Famine arrivals at New York, 1846–1851 10
  • U.S. service members who died in the Korean War 7
  • U.S. service members who died in the Vietnam War 6
  • New York State police and firefighter memorial rolls 1
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Robert J. Woodruff

    Born 1915 in New York. Enlisted 1942 at Cincinnati, Ohio; designer from Hamilton County, Ohio. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1996, buried at St Mary's Cemetery, Cincinnati, Ohio.

    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 Delbert D. Woodruff

    Born 1932; from King County, Washington. U.S. Army, light weapons infantry leader; killed in action 1953 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 Sam Woodruff

    Arrived at New York in 1892 aboard the City of Paris from Liverpool and Queenstown, aged 72; merchant. From England, Canada.

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

Showing 3 of 2,418 records for Woodruff 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. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · 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. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain) · New York State, Open NY (police and firefighter memorial rolls). 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).

Australia272 records

272 records of the Woodruff name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 105
  • Tasmanian Names Index 95
  • Victoria wills and probate, deaths to 2001 51
  • Queensland State Archives indexes 16
  • Canberra cemetery and marriage records 2
  • NSW convict, estate and railway indexes 1
  • State Library of Western Australia indexes 1
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 1
  1. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Matilda Ann Woodruff

    Died 1924 in Blessington, Tasmania. Will registered in Tasmania in 1924.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Thomas Woodruff

    Arrived in Victoria in 1853 aboard the Blackheath, aged 35; English.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)
  3. 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 Joseph Woodruff

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Cressy, sailing from Plymouth in 1843. Native of Wellingborough, Northamptonshire.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 272 records for Woodruff in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · ACT Government, Transport Canberra and City Services (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: 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); Prison-ship in Portsmouth Harbour, with the convicts going on board, etching by Edward William Cooke, 1829, Royal Museums Greenwich (public domain).

Canada60 records

60 records of the Woodruff name in Canada
  • City of Niagara Falls (Ontario) cemetery records 24
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 15
  • Canadian Virtual War Memorial 9
  • Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver 8
  • City of Calgary cemetery records 2
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 2
  1. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Willis Richard Woodruff

    Buried in 1980 at Burnsland Cemetery, Calgary, Alberta, aged 73.

    City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary.
  2. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Judith Anne Woodruff

    Died 1969 in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

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

    Died in service in 1916.

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

Showing 3 of 60 records for Woodruff in Canada.

Counts: City of Niagara Falls. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Niagara Falls. · 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. · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0); Canadian First World War circumstances-of-death register (scan by Scottgraham87 via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0).

United Kingdom5 records

5 records of the Woodruff name in the United Kingdom
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 4
  • St James's burial ground, Euston (London), 1789–1853 1
  1. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record W. Woodruff

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

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)
  2. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record C. Woodruff

    Lance Corporal, Coldstream Guards. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1918.

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

Showing 2 of 5 records for Woodruff 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. 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 Woodruff.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Woodruff 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 Woodruff volume
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