NameCensus.

UK surname

Redwood

A locational surname indicating one's origin from a place with abundant red wood trees.

In the 1881 census there were 807 people recorded with the Redwood surname, ranking it #4,623 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 1,259, ranked #4,748, down from #4,623 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff, Lenton, Radford, Papplewick, Nuthall, Greasley, Brewhouse Yard and London parishes. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Caerphilly, Bath and North East Somerset and Taunton Deane.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Redwood is 1,365 in 1999. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 56.0%.

1881 census count

807

Ranked #4,623

Modern count

1,259

2016, ranked #4,748

Peak year

1999

1,365 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Redwood had 807 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #4,623 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 1,259 in 2016, ranked #4,748.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 1,225 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Redwood surname distribution map

The map shows where the Redwood surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.

Distribution map

Redwood surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Redwood over time

The table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.

Year Period Count Rank
1851 historical 516 #4,849
1861 historical 591 #4,475
1881 historical 807 #4,623
1891 historical 983 #4,207
1901 historical 1,101 #4,388
1911 historical 1,225 #3,855
1997 modern 1,310 #4,375
1998 modern 1,335 #4,446
1999 modern 1,365 #4,403
2000 modern 1,331 #4,475
2001 modern 1,299 #4,485
2002 modern 1,317 #4,522
2003 modern 1,300 #4,484
2004 modern 1,308 #4,458
2005 modern 1,244 #4,616
2006 modern 1,234 #4,663
2007 modern 1,240 #4,692
2008 modern 1,242 #4,711
2009 modern 1,263 #4,737
2010 modern 1,299 #4,705
2011 modern 1,315 #4,591
2012 modern 1,257 #4,711
2013 modern 1,280 #4,722
2014 modern 1,276 #4,759
2015 modern 1,259 #4,766
2016 modern 1,259 #4,748

Geography

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Where Redwoods are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff, Lenton, Radford, Papplewick, Nuthall, Greasley, Brewhouse Yard, London parishes, Bedwelty and Halberton, Uplowman (Whitnage). These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Caerphilly, Bath and North East Somerset, Taunton Deane, Rhondda Cynon Taf and South Somerset. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Some modern areas include a three-digit suffix, such as Leeds 110. The suffix is a small-area code, so it stays in the table while the prose uses the plain place name.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff Gloucestershire
2 Lenton, Radford, Papplewick, Nuthall, Greasley, Brewhouse Yard Nottinghamshire
3 London parishes London 3
4 Bedwelty Monmouthshire
5 Halberton, Uplowman (Whitnage) Devon

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Caerphilly 002 Caerphilly
2 Bath and North East Somerset 023 Bath and North East Somerset
3 Taunton Deane 003 Taunton Deane
4 Rhondda Cynon Taf 015 Rhondda Cynon Taf
5 South Somerset 002 South Somerset

Forenames

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First names often paired with Redwood

These lists show first names that appear often with the Redwood surname in historical and recent records.

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Redwood

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Redwood, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.

These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.

The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.

UK neighbourhood type

UK Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities

Group

Rural Amenity

Nationally, the Redwood surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Rural Amenity, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Redwood household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

This Group comprises older parents or retirees, with no resident dependent children, and with the lowest residential densities in this Supergroup. Predominantly UK-born, residents typically live in detached houses, although others do live in semi-detached and terraced properties. The level of multiple car ownership is the highest in this Supergroup. Most houses are owner occupied although social renting is also present. Many concentrations occur in high amenity rural locations, such as Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Wider pattern

Pervasive throughout the UK, members of this Supergroup typically own (or are buying) their detached, semi-detached or terraced homes. They are also typically educated to A Level/Highers or degree level and work in skilled or professional occupations. Typically born in the UK, some families have children, although the median adult age is above 45 and some property has become under-occupied after children have left home. This Supergroup is pervasive not only in suburban locations, but also in neighbourhoods at or beyond the edge of cities that adjoin rural parts of the country.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Young Families and Mainstream Employment

Group

Social Rented Sector and Diverse Origins

Within London, Redwood is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector and Diverse Origins, part of Young Families and Mainstream Employment. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Scattered across London’s Inner and Outer suburbs, residents of these neighbourhoods are typically housed in the social rented sector. Although terraced and semi-detached houses predominate, more residents live in flats than elsewhere in the Supergroup. Neighbourhoods are more ethnically diverse than the Supergroup average. Those identifying as of Bangladeshi, Pakistani and some Black ethnicities are more prevalent. Europeans born in a overseas non-EU countries make up more of the lower proportion of residents identifying as White. Few residents are very old (85+). Employment in distribution, hotels and restaurants is more common than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

Wider London pattern

Many families in these neighbourhoods have young children. Housing is principally in the social rented sector, in terraced or semi-detached units. While over-all residential densities are low, overcrowding is also prevalent locally. Residents are drawn from a range of ethnic minorities, with many identifying as Black and above average numbers born in Africa. Numbers identifying as of Chinese, Indian or White ethnicity are below average. Levels of proficiency in English are below average. Levels of separation or divorce and incidence of disability are both above average. Education is typically limited to Level 1, 2, or apprenticeship qualifications. Few residents work in professional or managerial occupations but the employment structure is otherwise diverse: it includes skilled trades, caring, leisure and other service occupations, sales and customer service occupations, construction, and work as process, plant, and machine operatives.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Redwood is most concentrated in decile 5 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname near the middle of the scale.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

5
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Redwood falls in decile 10 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the less deprived end of the index.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

10
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Redwood is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 30-40 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

6
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Redwood, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Redwood

The surname Redwood is of English origin, derived from the Old English words "read" meaning red, and "wudu" meaning wood. It likely originated as a descriptive name for someone who lived near a forest with an abundance of redwood trees.

The name can be traced back to the 13th century in various regions of England, particularly in areas with a significant number of redwood trees, such as the counties of Devon, Cornwall, and Somerset. Early spellings of the name included Redewode, Redwod, and Redwude.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Redwood appears in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273, where a Richard de Redwode is listed as a landowner in Somerset. Another early mention can be found in the Feet of Fines for Essex in 1310, which references a John Redwode.

The Redwood surname is also found in various medieval manuscripts and records, such as the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex in 1327, where a Thomas Redwode is mentioned. The name is also present in the Lay Subsidy Rolls for Worcestershire in 1334, listing a Roger Redwode.

Prominent individuals with the Redwood surname throughout history include Sir Bevil Redwood (1602-1642), an English soldier and Member of Parliament who fought for the Royalist cause during the English Civil War. John Redwood (born 1951) is a British politician and former Secretary of State for Wales.

Other notable bearers of the Redwood surname include Mary Redwood (1689-1772), an English botanist and illustrator, and Thomas Redwood (1786-1857), an English chemist and professor known for his work on the properties of various gases.

In the United States, the Redwood surname can be traced back to the early colonial period, with records showing individuals with the name settling in Virginia and Massachusetts in the 17th century. One of the earliest known bearers of the name in America was John Redwood, who was listed as a landowner in Virginia in the 1620s.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Redwood families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Redwood surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.

Top counties

Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Somerset leads with 151 Redwoods recorded in 1881 and an index of 11.89x.

County Total Index
Somerset 151 11.89x
Devon 134 8.16x
Middlesex 94 1.19x
Kent 68 2.53x
Gloucestershire 64 4.14x
Monmouthshire 49 8.59x
Surrey 37 0.96x
Nottinghamshire 34 3.20x
Essex 22 1.41x
Lancashire 22 0.23x
Berkshire 17 2.87x
Warwickshire 16 0.80x
Glamorgan 13 0.95x
Cheshire 11 0.63x
Suffolk 11 1.14x
Sussex 9 0.68x
Oxfordshire 7 1.44x
Wiltshire 7 1.00x
Yorkshire 6 0.08x
Derbyshire 5 0.40x
Hampshire 5 0.31x
Midlothian 5 0.47x
Cumberland 4 0.59x
Staffordshire 3 0.11x
Brecknockshire 2 1.27x
Buckinghamshire 2 0.42x
Westmorland 2 1.15x
Dorset 1 0.19x
Durham 1 0.04x
Hertfordshire 1 0.18x
Lanarkshire 1 0.04x
Merionethshire 1 0.69x
Northamptonshire 1 0.13x
Northumberland 1 0.09x
Royal Navy 1 1.06x
Worcestershire 1 0.10x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Wellington in Somerset leads with 26 Redwoods recorded in 1881 and an index of 150.99x.

Place Total Index
Wellington 26 150.99x
Westbury On Trym 25 47.68x
Tiverton 23 81.27x
Nottingham St Mary 20 7.27x
Hackney London 18 4.07x
Harwich St Nicholas 18 149.63x
Herne 18 151.01x
Hockworthy 18 2168.67x
Clayhidon 17 1062.50x
Tormoham 16 23.02x
Wandsworth 14 18.43x
Margate St John Baptist 13 26.37x
Shoreditch London 13 3.80x
St Lawrence 13 70.23x
Bedwellty 12 11.91x
Taunton St Mary 11 47.17x
Wolborough 11 52.99x
Carlton 10 82.37x
Clifton 10 12.78x
Old Sodbury 10 518.13x
Birmingham 9 1.36x
Brighton 9 3.35x
Lydeard St Lawrence 9 629.37x
Macclesfield 9 11.62x
St Luke London 9 7.11x
Stogumber 9 267.86x
Hinton Blewett 8 1355.93x
Lancaster 8 14.36x
Plympton Maurice 8 258.06x
Westminster St 8 27.50x
Wiveliscombe 8 112.99x
Aberystruth 7 13.92x
Bermondsey 7 2.98x
Bury St Edmunds St James 7 27.27x
Clevedon 7 52.99x
Islington London 7 0.92x
Llanhilleth 7 186.67x
Long Sutton 7 295.36x
Pitminster 7 187.67x
St Pancras London 7 1.10x
Aston 6 1.09x
Bedminster 6 5.03x
Bridgewater 6 17.40x
Bristol St Philip Jacob 6 4.12x
Cowley 6 39.45x
Leeds 6 1.36x
Llanvihangel Llantarnam 6 55.15x
Reading St Mary 6 12.64x
St George Hanover 6 5.82x
West Buckland 6 245.90x
Chorlton On Medlock 5 3.36x
East Harptree 5 280.90x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 5 1.18x
Everton 5 1.68x
Fisherton Anger 5 38.70x
Ilminster 5 56.37x
Lambeth 5 0.73x
Llantillio Pertholey 5 150.15x
Llantrisant 5 14.44x
Ottery St Mary 5 46.38x
Trevethin 5 9.28x
Uplowman 5 462.96x
Upton 5 649.35x
Aston Tirrold 4 476.19x
Bootle 4 181.82x
Claylane 4 23.30x
Cogan 4 196.08x
Erwarton 4 851.06x
Exeter St Mary Steps 4 107.82x
Finchley 4 13.22x
Huntsham 4 754.72x
Lewisham 4 2.79x
Luxborough 4 353.98x
Newton Abbot St Mary 4 29.03x
Oake 4 1333.33x
Staplegrove 4 258.06x
Tormarton 4 347.83x
Wantage 4 42.37x
Bromley 3 7.31x
Brompton Ralph 3 260.87x

Top female names

These are the female first names most often recorded with the Redwood surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
Mary 64
Elizabeth 31
Sarah 31
Ann 17
Emma 17
Emily 14
Alice 13
Charlotte 13
Annie 12
Ellen 12
Jane 12
Eliza 11
Louisa 9
Florence 8
Harriet 8
Susan 8
Bessie 7
Maria 7
Martha 7
Caroline 6
Fanny 6
Edith 5
Anna 4
Kate 4
Lucy 4
Lydia 4
Ethel 3
Frances 3
Jessie 3
Rose 3
Ada 2
Amelia 2
Amy 2
Anne 2
Beatrice 2
Harriett 2
Jemima 2
Lavinia 2
Maud 2
Rachel 2
Rosa 2
Selina 2
Sophia 2
Betsey 1
Elizebeth 1
Elviner 1
Emelia 1
Eveylin 1
Hettie 1
Winifred 1

Top male names

These are the male first names most often recorded with the Redwood surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
William 56
John 36
James 33
Thomas 30
George 28
Charles 25
Henry 18
Robert 16
Alfred 9
Arthur 9
Walter 9
Edwin 8
Samuel 8
Frederick 6
Joseph 6
Edward 5
Francis 5
Harry 5
Ernest 4
Frank 4
Benjamen 3
Fredrick 3
Hugh 3
Albert 2
Ebenezer 2
Gilbert 2
Herbert 2
Isaac 2
Jesse 2
Lewis 2
Mark 2
Naaman 2
Oliver 2
Richard 2
Sydney 2
Theophilus 2
Willie 2
Barnett 1
Boberton 1
Cecil 1
Charley 1
Franklin 1
Fred. 1
Frederic 1
Geo. 1
Henery 1
Jessy 1
Josiah 1
Moses 1
Wm. 1

FAQ

Redwood surname: questions and answers

How common was the Redwood surname in 1881?

In 1881, 807 people were recorded with the Redwood surname. That placed it at #4,623 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Redwood surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 1,259 in 2016. That gives Redwood a modern rank of #4,748.

What does the Redwood surname mean?

A locational surname indicating one's origin from a place with abundant red wood trees.

What does the Redwood map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Redwood bearers relative to the surrounding population.

What records is this surname page based on?

The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.