NameCensus.

UK surname

Woodroff

In the 1881 census there were 130 people recorded with the Woodroff surname, ranking it #16,911 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 84, ranked #32,726, down from #16,911 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, Willesford and Cambridge: St Andrew the Less, St Andrew the Great, Holy Trinity, St Benedict. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Huntingdonshire, Bridgend and Redbridge.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Woodroff is 166 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has fallen by 35.4%.

1881 census count

130

Ranked #16,911

Modern count

84

2016, ranked #32,726

Peak year

1911

166 bearers

Map years

8

1851 to 2006

Key insights

  • Woodroff had 130 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #16,911 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 84 in 2016, ranked #32,726.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 166 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Inner Suburbs and Small Town Living.

Woodroff surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Woodroff surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Woodroff 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 138 #13,745
1861 historical 155 #14,881
1881 historical 130 #16,911
1891 historical 120 #21,292
1901 historical 150 #18,075
1911 historical 166 #16,756
1997 modern 112 #25,244
1998 modern 115 #25,466
1999 modern 110 #26,315
2000 modern 110 #26,248
2001 modern 105 #26,620
2002 modern 108 #26,698
2003 modern 104 #27,101
2004 modern 105 #27,181
2005 modern 107 #26,875
2006 modern 103 #27,785
2007 modern 104 #28,020
2008 modern 96 #29,654
2009 modern 96 #30,239
2010 modern 96 #30,854
2011 modern 99 #30,218
2012 modern 90 #31,790
2013 modern 90 #32,146
2014 modern 89 #32,409
2015 modern 87 #32,514
2016 modern 84 #32,726

Geography

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Where Woodroffs are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, Willesford, Cambridge: St Andrew the Less, St Andrew the Great, Holy Trinity, St Benedict and St Giles Camberwell. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Huntingdonshire, Bridgend, Redbridge, Elmbridge and South Bucks. 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 London parishes London 1
2 London parishes London 3
3 Willesford Wiltshire
4 Cambridge: St Andrew the Less, St Andrew the Great, Holy Trinity, St Benedict Cambridgeshire
5 St Giles Camberwell London (South Districts)

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Huntingdonshire 016 Huntingdonshire
2 Bridgend 015 Bridgend
3 Redbridge 006 Redbridge
4 Elmbridge 004 Elmbridge
5 South Bucks 002 South Bucks

Forenames

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First names often paired with Woodroff

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Woodroff

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Woodroff, 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

Inner Suburbs and Small Town Living

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

Read profile summary

Group profile

Families with resident dependent children (but not students) are common. Established family groups and White ethnicity predominate, as do individuals born in the UK. They are more likely than the Supergroup average to have been resident in their terraced, semi-detached, or detached houses for more than one year. Levels of multiple car ownership are high. Properties are owned and typically have surplus living space. Associate professionals and administrative occupations are prevalent, and parents are likely to be in middle age or approaching retirement. Educational attainment is above the Supergroup average. Scattered developments and concentrations are found in many small towns.

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

Suburban Asian Communities

Group

Young Asian Family Terraces

Within London, Woodroff is most associated with areas classed as Young Asian Family Terraces, part of Suburban Asian Communities. 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

These households with dependent children typically live in terraced housing and are of (non-Chinese) Asian extraction. Individuals with Bangladeshi origins are particularly in evidence. Employment is often in elementary occupations or as process, plant or machine operatives, and part-time work is common. Students are much in evidence.

Wider London pattern

Many residents of these neighbourhoods are of (non-Chinese) Asian descent, with many identifying as Indian, Pakistani or Bangladeshi. Neighbourhoods are located across large areas of suburban west, north-east and south London. Detached, semi-detached and terraced houses are more prevalent than flats and socially rented housing is uncommon. Few residents live in communal establishments. Many families have dependent children, sometimes in overcrowded accommodation, and few households are ethnically mixed. Marriage rates are above the London average. The even age distribution, relative absence of individuals living alone and frequent incidence of households with children suggests that multi-generation households may be relatively common. Employment is often in skilled trades, elementary, sales and customer service occupations, and roles as process, plant, and machine operatives. Manufacturing and construction are well represented, along with employment in distribution, hotels, and restaurants. Many adults have only level 1, 2, or apprenticeship qualifications. English is not used at home by some residents. Religious affiliation is above average.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Woodroff is most concentrated in decile 9 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the healthier end of the index.

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

9
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Woodroff 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 Woodroff 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 Woodroff, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

1881 census detail

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Woodroff families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Woodroff 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. Middlesex leads with 32 Woodroffs recorded in 1881 and an index of 2.52x.

County Total Index
Middlesex 32 2.52x
Surrey 28 4.53x
Wiltshire 26 23.19x
Cambridgeshire 11 13.70x
Nottinghamshire 7 4.10x
Gloucestershire 5 2.01x
Yorkshire 5 0.40x
Kent 3 0.69x
Northamptonshire 3 2.52x
Staffordshire 3 0.70x
Warwickshire 3 0.94x
Monmouthshire 2 2.18x
Lincolnshire 1 0.49x
Somerset 1 0.49x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Bethnal Green London in Middlesex leads with 8 Woodroffs recorded in 1881 and an index of 14.52x.

Place Total Index
Bethnal Green London 8 14.52x
St Andrewthe Less 8 87.24x
Devizes St Mary 7 619.47x
Camberwell 6 7.41x
Kensington London 6 8.51x
Mile End Old Town 6 29.99x
Wandsworth 6 49.18x
Beeching Stoke 5 7142.86x
Croydon 5 14.58x
Doncaster 5 54.47x
Melksham 5 256.41x
Wilsford 5 3125.00x
Kingston On Thames 4 26.95x
Nottingham St Mary 4 9.05x
Shoreditch London 4 7.28x
Walton On Thames 4 140.85x
Westbury On Trym 4 47.51x
Wilcott 4 1666.67x
Birmingham 3 2.82x
Costock 3 2307.69x
Southwark St George Martyr 3 11.76x
St Peters 3 150.00x
Wellingborough 3 50.00x
Burton Upon Trent 2 19.98x
Chelsea London 2 5.23x
East Newchurch 2 1176.47x
Ely Holy Trinity St Mary 2 57.14x
Islington London 2 1.63x
Bathwick 1 44.25x
Bristol St Philip Jacob 1 4.27x
Enfield 1 12.02x
Hackney London 1 1.41x
Hampstead London 1 5.06x
St Marythe Less 1 204.08x
St Pancras London 1 0.98x
Stamford St Mary 1 243.90x
Wolstanton 1 7.69x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Elizabeth 6
Emily 5
Alice 4
Sarah 4
Ann 3
Annie 3
Ellen 3
Mary 3
Susan 3
Edith 2
Emma 2
Florence 2
Harriet 2
Jane 2
Maria 2
Martha 2
Ada 1
Aimee 1
Caroline 1
Clara 1
E. 1
Eliza 1
Ellena 1
Ethel 1
L.R. 1
Lillian 1
Louisa 1
Matilda 1
Minnie 1
Nelly 1
Ruth 1
Susannah 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 7
William 6
Edward 5
George 5
Henry 5
Arthur 3
Charles 3
Harry 3
Joseph 3
Walter 3
Albert 2
Benjamin 2
Frederick 2
H. 2
Herbert 2
Alfred 1
Ashby 1
David 1
Edmund 1
Edwin 1
Francis 1
Mark 1
Robert 1
Robt. 1
Roger 1
Sydney 1
Thomas 1
Wm.S. 1

FAQ

Woodroff surname: questions and answers

How common was the Woodroff surname in 1881?

In 1881, 130 people were recorded with the Woodroff surname. That placed it at #16,911 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Woodroff surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 84 in 2016. That gives Woodroff a modern rank of #32,726.

What does the Woodroff map show?

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