NameCensus.

UK surname

Woodland

An English toponymic surname denoting someone who lived near or in a forest.

In the 1881 census there were 1,508 people recorded with the Woodland surname, ranking it #2,784 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 2,053, ranked #3,148, down from #2,784 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff, Exeter St David (including Castle Yard) and London parishes. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Rhondda Cynon Taf, Sedgemoor and South Somerset.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Woodland is 2,176 in 1999. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 36.1%.

1881 census count

1,508

Ranked #2,784

Modern count

2,053

2016, ranked #3,148

Peak year

1999

2,176 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Woodland had 1,508 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #2,784 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 2,053 in 2016, ranked #3,148.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 2,102 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Woodland surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Woodland surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Woodland 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 1,006 #2,774
1861 historical 1,343 #2,131
1881 historical 1,508 #2,784
1891 historical 1,701 #2,657
1901 historical 1,802 #2,905
1911 historical 2,102 #2,384
1997 modern 2,119 #2,914
1998 modern 2,168 #2,954
1999 modern 2,176 #2,965
2000 modern 2,159 #2,969
2001 modern 2,116 #2,964
2002 modern 2,143 #2,989
2003 modern 2,104 #2,973
2004 modern 2,121 #2,957
2005 modern 2,034 #3,031
2006 modern 2,035 #3,038
2007 modern 2,027 #3,087
2008 modern 2,019 #3,125
2009 modern 2,087 #3,101
2010 modern 2,126 #3,116
2011 modern 2,109 #3,093
2012 modern 2,030 #3,152
2013 modern 2,078 #3,143
2014 modern 2,081 #3,153
2015 modern 2,063 #3,150
2016 modern 2,053 #3,148

Geography

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Where Woodlands are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff, Exeter St David (including Castle Yard), London parishes and Midsomer Norton, Paulton, Chilcompton. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Rhondda Cynon Taf, Sedgemoor, South Somerset, Blaenau Gwent and Bath and North East 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 Exeter St David (including Castle Yard) Devon
3 London parishes London 1
4 London parishes London 3
5 Midsomer Norton, Paulton, Chilcompton Somerset

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Rhondda Cynon Taf 023 Rhondda Cynon Taf
2 Sedgemoor 008 Sedgemoor
3 South Somerset 021 South Somerset
4 Blaenau Gwent 009 Blaenau Gwent
5 Bath and North East Somerset 024 Bath and North East Somerset

Forenames

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First names often paired with Woodland

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Woodland

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Woodland, 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 Woodland surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Rural Amenity, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Woodland 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

Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs

Group

London Fringe

Within London, Woodland is most associated with areas classed as London Fringe, part of Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs. 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

Predominantly located in neighbourhoods on the outskirts of Greater London, residents of these neighbourhoods typically have their highest qualifications below degree (Level 4) level, with those still in work engaged in skilled trades and occupations in distribution, hotels and restaurants. There is low ethnic diversity in these neighbourhoods and high levels of Christian religious affiliation. Detached or terraced houses predominate, often with spare rooms.

Wider London pattern

The age distribution of these neighbourhoods is skewed towards the middle-aged and old, although few residents live alone or in communal establishments and numbers of dependent children are around average. Owner occupation is the norm, as is residence in detached or semi-detached houses. Residential densities are low and many households have spare rooms. Most residents were born in the UK and, aside from some identifying as members of Chinese or Indian ethnicities, identify as White. Mixed ethnicity households are rare. Incidence of married couples is higher than average and few individuals have never been married. A large proportion of individuals still in employment work in administrative and secretarial occupations, or in the construction industry. Few residents are students, and many households own more than one car.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Woodland is most concentrated in decile 4 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.

4
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Woodland falls in decile 5 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname near the middle of the scale.

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

5
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Woodland 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 Woodland, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Woodland

The surname Woodland originates from England, where it first appeared in the 13th century. It is a locational surname, derived from the Old English words "wudu" meaning wood, and "land" meaning land or estate. This suggests that the name was initially given to someone who lived near or worked on a heavily wooded area or estate.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Woodland surname can be found in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273, where a Roger de Wodeland is mentioned in Oxfordshire. The name also appears in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1327, listed as William de Wodelaunde.

During the Middle Ages, the Woodland name was particularly concentrated in the counties of Worcestershire, Oxfordshire, and Gloucestershire. This could indicate that the name originated in one of these areas, where heavily forested lands were abundant.

In the 16th century, the Woodland surname is recorded in the parish registers of St. Giles in Cripplegate, London. An entry from 1576 mentions the marriage of Richard Woodland and Jane Skynner.

One of the earliest notable individuals with the Woodland surname was John Woodland (c.1530-1592), an English Protestant reformer and Marian exile. He was born in Coventry, Warwickshire, and fled to Frankfurt during the reign of Queen Mary I.

Another notable bearer of the Woodland name was Sir William Woodland (1584-1668), an English politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Coventry in the 17th century.

In the 18th century, Thomas Woodland (1735-1808) was a prominent English architect and surveyor who designed several churches and public buildings in the West Midlands region.

During the 19th century, the Woodland surname spread further across England, as well as to other parts of the British Isles and beyond. One notable individual from this period was William Woodland (1810-1890), a British landscape painter and illustrator known for his scenes of rural England.

Finally, in the early 20th century, Sir Howard Douglas Woodland (1870-1958) was a British civil engineer and pioneering aviator, best known for his work in developing early aircraft designs and contributing to the development of aviation technology.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Woodland families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Woodland 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 330 Woodlands recorded in 1881 and an index of 13.83x.

County Total Index
Somerset 330 13.83x
Middlesex 230 1.55x
Kent 132 2.61x
Devon 82 2.66x
Dorset 80 8.22x
Surrey 72 1.00x
Sussex 71 2.84x
Gloucestershire 67 2.30x
Bedfordshire 55 7.16x
Warwickshire 41 1.10x
Derbyshire 37 1.59x
Essex 36 1.23x
Hampshire 36 1.18x
Berkshire 31 2.79x
Glamorgan 31 1.20x
Buckinghamshire 24 2.68x
Yorkshire 22 0.15x
Hertfordshire 21 2.05x
Lancashire 20 0.11x
Durham 11 0.25x
Channel Islands 9 2.05x
Shropshire 9 0.70x
Midlothian 7 0.35x
Monmouthshire 7 0.65x
Northumberland 7 0.32x
Nottinghamshire 7 0.35x
Suffolk 7 0.39x
Wiltshire 6 0.46x
Oxfordshire 5 0.55x
Worcestershire 5 0.26x
Northamptonshire 4 0.29x
Staffordshire 4 0.08x
Cheshire 3 0.09x
Lincolnshire 3 0.13x
Leicestershire 2 0.12x
Royal Navy 2 1.13x
Cambridgeshire 1 0.11x
Denbighshire 1 0.18x
Herefordshire 1 0.16x
Stirlingshire 1 0.18x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Midsomer Norton in Somerset leads with 56 Woodlands recorded in 1881 and an index of 249.11x.

Place Total Index
Midsomer Norton 56 249.11x
Puckington 35 3017.24x
Selsey 30 652.17x
Bedminster 29 12.93x
Exeter St David 29 109.97x
Chard 25 86.48x
St Pancras London 24 2.01x
Radstock 22 140.22x
Kensington London 21 2.55x
Bethnal Green London 18 2.79x
Bristol St James St Paul 18 18.56x
Curry Rivell 18 225.56x
Portsea 18 3.02x
Hanslope 17 211.18x
Stocklinch Ottersey 17 2833.33x
Alfreton 16 22.69x
Aston 15 1.46x
Pulloxhill 15 555.56x
Bristol St Philip Jacob 14 5.11x
Hackney London 14 1.68x
Isle Brewers 14 875.00x
Islington London 13 0.90x
Lambeth 13 1.01x
Poplar London 13 4.65x
Netherbury 12 149.25x
St George Hanover 12 6.20x
Birmingham 11 0.88x
Hillmorton 11 164.92x
Sellinge 11 334.35x
Deptford St Paul 10 2.56x
Exeter St Thomas The 10 31.79x
Melcombe Regis 10 24.80x
Oving 10 118.34x
Paddington London 10 1.83x
Pentyrch 10 93.81x
Ridgmont 10 263.85x
Rotherhithe 10 5.46x
Willesden 10 7.15x
Battersea 9 1.65x
Caterham 9 28.18x
Croydon 9 2.24x
Dymchurch 9 320.28x
Frome 9 15.77x
Hendon 9 16.87x
Leyton 9 17.85x
St Martin 9 33.43x
Wiveliscombe 9 67.67x
Charing 8 116.79x
Chideock 8 233.24x
Deal 8 18.54x
Luton 8 6.02x
Reading St Mary 8 8.97x
Shrewsbury St Chad 8 17.79x
St Marylebone London 8 1.01x
Barrington 7 330.19x
Bristol St Augustine 7 14.92x
Bristol St Michael 7 28.08x
Chipstable 7 421.69x
Chulmleigh 7 99.57x
Cramond 7 46.51x
Derby St Werburgh 7 5.22x
Enfield 7 7.20x
Greenham 7 126.13x
Hampreston 7 99.01x
Houghton Conquest 7 222.22x
Liverpool 7 0.66x
Llanwonno 7 7.55x
Minster In Sheppey 7 8.35x
Newburn 7 111.11x
Northwood 7 16.17x
St Albans 7 33.43x
West Ham 7 1.08x
Woolwich 7 3.75x
Basford 6 6.51x
Dorking 6 12.37x
Elham 6 99.34x
Hastings St Leonards 6 16.33x
Raydon 6 222.22x
Sherborne 6 20.94x
Shoreditch London 6 0.93x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 82
Elizabeth 71
Sarah 55
Ellen 33
Eliza 27
Emma 26
Jane 25
Ann 24
Emily 23
Alice 21
Annie 21
Charlotte 16
Ada 15
Anne 14
Martha 13
Clara 12
Florence 12
Harriet 12
Susan 12
Fanny 10
Harriett 10
Lucy 10
Edith 9
Julia 9
Agnes 8
Frances 8
Kate 8
Amy 6
Caroline 6
Louisa 6
Mabel 6
Amelia 5
Bessie 5
Elizth. 5
Hannah 5
Rebecca 5
Rose 5
Blanche 4
Esther 4
Georgina 4
Isabella 4
Laura 4
Maria 4
May 4
Rosa 4
Susannah 4
Adelaide 3
Betsy 3
Margaret 3
Matilda 3

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 87
John 76
George 48
Thomas 41
James 34
Charles 33
Henry 30
Robert 26
Frederick 25
Joseph 21
Walter 21
Alfred 19
Edward 19
Albert 14
Harry 11
Herbert 9
Ernest 8
Richard 8
Samuel 8
Arthur 7
Edwin 6
Fred 6
Francis 5
Frank 5
Edmund 4
Percy 4
Wm. 4
Benjamin 3
Chas. 3
Hugh 3
Mark 3
Thos. 3
Andrew 2
Cecil 2
Eli 2
Fredk. 2
Isaac 2
Jesse 2
Joshua 2
Levi 2
Oliver 2
Philip 2
Stephen 2
Tom 2
Uriah 2
Vincent 2
Wallace 2
Willie 2
Willm. 2
Farnham 1

FAQ

Woodland surname: questions and answers

How common was the Woodland surname in 1881?

In 1881, 1,508 people were recorded with the Woodland surname. That placed it at #2,784 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Woodland surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 2,053 in 2016. That gives Woodland a modern rank of #3,148.

What does the Woodland surname mean?

An English toponymic surname denoting someone who lived near or in a forest.

What does the Woodland map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Woodland 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.