The Woodson surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 17,242 people carried this name — #2,098 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 17,100 people counted. That is up 5% from 16,496 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Woodson surname

As an English and Welsh surname

Bardsley classes it as a baptismal name, from a given name: ‘the son of Wodard’.

His entry covers Wooderson and Woodson.

From Charles W. Bardsley, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with Special American Instances (London: Henry Frowde, 1901), p. 824 · public domain.

In the first U.S. census, 1790

54 families named Woodson, or a close spelling, were counted in 1790.

Each family is counted by its head. About 302 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

Virginia 36
Maine 9
South Carolina 6
North Carolina 2
Massachusetts 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

Woodson in American newspapers,
1904–1920.

Newspaper page from The News & Observer carrying the name Woodson
The News & Observer 1904-08-14
Newspaper page from The Starkville News carrying the name Woodson
The Starkville News 1920-06-25
Newspaper page from The Starkville News carrying the name Woodson
The Starkville News 1913-04-11

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 111,352 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Woodson in Australian newspapers,
1850s–1960s.

335 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Woodson. The most, 151, date from the 1890s. 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 1.4 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 157
Victoria 67
Queensland 51
Western Australia 24
South Australia 23
Tasmania 6
ACT (Canberra) 2

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

Who carried it

People named Woodson,
with a public archive behind them.

  • David M. Woodson
    David M. Woodson 1806–1877 · judge
  • Samuel H. Woodson
    Samuel H. Woodson 1815–1881 · judge
  • Silas Woodson
    Silas Woodson 1819–1896 · judge
  • Sarah Jane Woodson Early
    Sarah Jane Woodson Early 1825–1907 · writer
  • Samuel H. Woodson 1777–1827 · lawyer
  • Ann Randolph Meade 1782–1847

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0 · 9 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Woodson,
in the records of 6 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 States1,153 records

1,153 records of the Woodson name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 574
  • U.S. veterans' cemetery records, burials to 2001 351
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 168
  • New York State death index (outside NYC), 1957–2001 29
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 10
  • U.S. service members who died in the Vietnam War 9
  • U.S. alien registration index, 1940–1955 7
  • U.S. service members who died in the Korean War 4
  • Riverside Cemetery, Asheville (North Carolina) 1
  1. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record James Lionel Woodson

    Born 1948; from St Louis, Missouri. U.S. Army, infantryman; killed in action 1967 in Quang Tin, South Vietnam. Buried at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery, Missouri.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Burley B. Woodson

    Born 1924 in New York. Enlisted 1943 at New York City; laundry worker from Westchester County. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1979, buried at Calverton National Cemetery, New York.

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

    Arrived at New York in 1866 aboard the Erin from Liverpool and Queenstown, aged 17; laborer. From England.

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

Showing 3 of 1,153 records for Woodson 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) · 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, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · City of Asheville (public domain, PDDL). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain); U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Australia7 records

7 records of the Woodson name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 5
  • NSW convict, estate and railway indexes 2
  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 Charles Woodson

    Transported to New South Wales aboard the Andromeda, arriving 1833; ticket of leave 1843.

    Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY)
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Rosie Woodson

    Arrived in Victoria in 1899 aboard the Ophir, aged 7.

    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 Manuel Woodson

    Arrived in Victoria in 1899 aboard the Ophir, aged 36.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 7 records for Woodson in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY). 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); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Canada4 records

4 records of the Woodson name in Canada
  • Ontario immigration records, 1865–1883 2
  • City of Calgary cemetery records 1
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 1
  1. 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 John Woodson

    Served in the No. 2 Construction Battalion in the First World War, private; of Louisbourg, Nevada.

    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 George Woodson

    Buried in 1913 at Union Cemetery, Calgary, Alberta.

    City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary.

Showing 2 of 4 records for Woodson in Canada.

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

United Kingdom3 records

3 records of the Woodson name in the United Kingdom
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 2
  • St James's burial ground, Euston (London), 1789–1853 1
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Caroline Woodson

    Buried in 1813 at St James's burial ground, Euston, London, aged 50.

    MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
  2. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record H. Woodson

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

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

    King's Own (Yorkshire Light Infantry). Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1917.

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

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: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0); C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0).

France1 record

1 record of the Woodson 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 Warren Keith Woodson

    Born 1925 in the United States; died 1999 in Deauville (Calvados).

    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).

Netherlands1 record

1 record of the Woodson name in the Netherlands Dutch church registers before 1811
  1. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Anneke Woodson

    Married in 1688 in Bergen op Zoom.

    Open Archives, West Brabants Archief (CC BY 4.0)

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).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Woodson.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Woodson 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 Woodson volume
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