NameCensus.

UK surname

Woodside

A locational surname referring to someone who lived near a forest or wooded area.

In the 1881 census there were 164 people recorded with the Woodside surname, ranking it #14,624 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 274, ranked #15,759, down from #14,624 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Govan Combination, Glasgow and Liverpool. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Fernhill and Cathkin, Croydon and Craigend and Ruchazie.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Woodside is 299 in 2010. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 67.1%.

1881 census count

164

Ranked #14,624

Modern count

274

2016, ranked #15,759

Peak year

2010

299 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Woodside had 164 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #14,624 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 274 in 2016, ranked #15,759.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 212 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established but Challenged.

Woodside surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Woodside surname density by area, 1881 census.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Woodside 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 142 #13,428
1861 historical 140 #16,169
1881 historical 164 #14,624
1891 historical 204 #14,702
1901 historical 212 #14,611
1911 historical 112 #21,274
1997 modern 266 #14,658
1998 modern 285 #14,351
1999 modern 282 #14,545
2000 modern 284 #14,457
2001 modern 271 #14,691
2002 modern 286 #14,442
2003 modern 274 #14,680
2004 modern 282 #14,451
2005 modern 287 #14,216
2006 modern 282 #14,459
2007 modern 286 #14,496
2008 modern 280 #14,823
2009 modern 296 #14,557
2010 modern 299 #14,769
2011 modern 295 #14,758
2012 modern 288 #14,934
2013 modern 282 #15,441
2014 modern 286 #15,378
2015 modern 276 #15,673
2016 modern 274 #15,759

Geography

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Where Woodsides are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Govan Combination, Glasgow, Liverpool, Stevenston and Dalry. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Fernhill and Cathkin, Croydon, Craigend and Ruchazie, Kirklees and Peterborough. 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 Govan Combination Lanark
2 Glasgow Lanark
3 Liverpool Lancashire
4 Stevenston Ayr
5 Dalry Ayr

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Fernhill and Cathkin South Lanarkshire
2 Croydon 005 Croydon
3 Craigend and Ruchazie Glasgow City
4 Kirklees 001 Kirklees
5 Peterborough 015 Peterborough

Forenames

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First names often paired with Woodside

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Woodside

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

Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce

Group

Established but Challenged

Nationally, the Woodside surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Established but Challenged, within Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce. This does not mean every Woodside household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Many households in these neighbourhoods comprise separated or divorced single parents with dependent children. Residents are typically born in the UK, and these neighbourhoods have relatively few members of ethnic minorities. The prevalence of children, their parents and those at or above normal retirement age, suggests neighbourhood structures may be long-established. Levels of unpaid care are high, and long-term disability is more common than in the Supergroup as a whole. Use of the social rented sector is common, often in terraced houses. Levels of overcrowding are above the Supergroup average. Unemployment is high, while those in work are employed in elementary occupations such as caring, leisure and customer services. Many residents have low level qualifications. Neighbourhood concentrations of this Group are found in the South Wales Valleys, Belfast, Londonderry and the Central Lowlands of Scotland.

Wider pattern

Living in terraced or semi-detached houses, residents of these neighbourhoods typically lack high levels of education and work in elementary or routine service occupations. Unemployment is above average. Residents are predominantly born in the UK, and residents are also predominantly from ethnic minorities. Social (but not private sector) rented sector housing is common. This Supergroup is found throughout the UK’s conurbations and industrial regions but is also an integral part of smaller towns.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Young Families and Mainstream Employment

Group

Social Rented Sector and Diverse Origins

Within London, Woodside 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

Woodside 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

Woodside falls in decile 1 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the more deprived end of the index.

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

1
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Woodside 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 - Irish

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

Meaning and origin of Woodside

The surname Woodside has its origins in England, dating back to the medieval period. It is derived from the Old English words "wudu" meaning wood and "side" referring to a slope or hillside. Thus, the name originally referred to someone who lived near a wooded hillside or slope.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Woodside can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive record of landowners and their holdings commissioned by William the Conqueror. The name appeared as "Wodeside" in this historical document.

During the 13th century, the name was also spelled as "Woddesyde" and "Wodsyde" in various historical records and manuscripts. These variations in spelling were common during that era, as standardized spellings had not yet been established.

The Woodside name is also associated with several place names in England, such as Woodside in Gloucestershire and Woodside in Hertfordshire. These place names likely influenced the adoption of the surname by families residing in those areas.

One notable figure with the surname Woodside was Sir John Woodside (1546-1612), an English politician and landowner who served as a Member of Parliament for Hampshire in the late 16th century.

Another prominent individual was Samuel Woodside (1734-1800), a Scottish-born American Revolutionary War soldier and pioneer who settled in western Pennsylvania and established the town of Woodside, which was later renamed Elizabethtown.

In the 19th century, James Woodside (1808-1879) was a Scottish-born Australian pastoralist and politician who played a significant role in the development of the wool industry in Victoria, Australia.

William Woodside (1835-1918) was a Scottish-born American businessman and philanthropist who co-founded the Woodside Pottery Company in East Liverpool, Ohio, which became one of the largest pottery manufacturers in the United States.

Lastly, John Woodside (1896-1968) was a British actor and film producer who appeared in numerous films during the early 20th century, including some of the earliest adaptations of Sherlock Holmes stories.

These examples illustrate the longstanding history and diverse backgrounds of individuals bearing the surname Woodside, which has its roots in the medieval English landscape and has since spread to various parts of the world.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Woodside families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Woodside 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. Ayrshire leads with 55 Woodsides recorded in 1881 and an index of 45.94x.

County Total Index
Ayrshire 55 45.94x
Lancashire 43 2.27x
Lanarkshire 40 7.73x
Renfrewshire 8 6.45x
Argyllshire 5 11.23x
Middlesex 4 0.25x
Worcestershire 4 1.91x
Midlothian 2 0.93x
Yorkshire 2 0.13x
Angus 1 0.67x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Everton in Lancashire leads with 26 Woodsides recorded in 1881 and an index of 42.98x.

Place Total Index
Everton 26 42.98x
Barony 16 12.22x
Kilwinning 15 387.60x
Glasgow 10 10.88x
Galston 8 244.65x
Stevenston 8 256.41x
Dalmellington 7 198.86x
Dalry 7 124.33x
St Quivox 6 148.15x
Toxteth Park 6 9.33x
West Greenock 6 26.97x
Dunoon Kilmun 5 144.09x
Govan 5 3.91x
Old Monkland 5 24.35x
Ardwick 4 23.36x
Clent 4 727.27x
Liverpool 4 3.47x
Tottenham 4 15.70x
Ayr 3 53.10x
Maryhill 3 29.62x
Abbey 2 10.57x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 2 2.32x
Wavertree 2 32.89x
Bilton Cum Harrogate 1 18.45x
Holbeck 1 9.52x
Kilmarnock 1 7.02x
Liff Benvie 1 4.44x
Manchester 1 1.17x
New Monkland 1 6.54x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 5
Sarah 4
Elizabeth 2
Martha 2
Alice 1
Annie 1
E. 1
Eleanor 1
Eliza 1
Ellen 1
Jane 1
Jannet 1
M. 1
Margaret 1
Maria 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
James 4
John 4
Hugh 3
Robert 3
William 3
George 2
Issac 2
Archie 1
Charles 1
Edward 1
Isaac 1
Thos. 1
W. 1
Willie 1

Top occupations

Occupational titles are kept as recorded and later transcribed, so related jobs, spelling variants and mistakes stay separate. Scholar was the census term for a child in education. That means the other rows often tell you more about adult work in Woodside households.

FAQ

Woodside surname: questions and answers

How common was the Woodside surname in 1881?

In 1881, 164 people were recorded with the Woodside surname. That placed it at #14,624 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Woodside surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 274 in 2016. That gives Woodside a modern rank of #15,759.

What does the Woodside surname mean?

A locational surname referring to someone who lived near a forest or wooded area.

What does the Woodside map show?

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