Wood Family History

Wood Surname Meaning

English: mainly a topographic name for someone who lived in or by a wood from Middle English wode ‘wood’ (Old English wudu). In North America the English form of the surname has absorbed cognates from other languages such as French Bois and Dubois and Polish Les.

English: in a few cases a nickname for an eccentric or perhaps a violent person from Middle English wode ‘frenzied wild’ (Old English wōd). In some cases also an Americanized form of French Gadbois and Houde.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022

Similar surnames: Wool, Wold, Good, Hood, Woods, Root, Gold, Hoad, Woody, Look

4M	Birth, Marriage, and Deaths
440K	Military Records
286K	Immigration Records
3M	Census and Voter Lists
6M	Member Trees

Search for a relative to learn more about your family history.

Where is the Wood family from?

You can see how Wood families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Wood family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Wood families were found in United Kingdom in 1891. In 1911 there were 4,081 Wood families living in Ontario. This was about 49% of all the recorded Wood's in Canada. Ontario had the highest population of Wood families in 1911.

Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Wood surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

View Census Data for Wood

What did your Wood ancestors do for a living?

In 1921, Farmer and Income were the top reported jobs for men and women in the Canada named Wood. 28% of Wood men worked as a Farmer and 9% of Wood women worked as an Income. Some less common occupations for Americans named Wood were Carpenter and Nil.

View Census Data for Wood

Data not to scale

We display top occupations by gender to maintain their historical accuracy during times when men and women often performed different jobs.

Farmer

28%

Labourer

Laborer

Carpenter

Income

Housekeeper

Stenographer

Nil

What Wood family records will you find?

Census Record

There are 3M census records available for the last name Wood. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Wood census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search Canadian census records for Wood

Passenger List

There are 286K immigration records available for the last name Wood. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in Canada, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

View all Wood immigration records

Military Records

There are 440K military records available for the last name Wood. For the veterans among your Wood ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Wood military records

You've only scratched the surface of Wood family history

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What is the average Wood lifespan?

Between 1940 and 2004, in the United States, Wood life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1944, and highest in 2000. The average life expectancy for Wood in 1940 was 33, and 75 in 2004.

Discover the unique achievements of ancestors in the Wood family tree

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Search for another surname

Wood Surname Meaning

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022

Where is the Wood family from?

What did your Wood ancestors do for a living?

Data not to scale

We display top occupations by gender to maintain their historical accuracy during times when men and women often performed different jobs.

Farmer

28%

Labourer

Laborer

Carpenter

Income

Housekeeper

Stenographer

Nil

What Wood family records will you find?

What is the average Wood lifespan?

Between 1940 and 2004, in the United States, Wood life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1944, and highest in 2000. The average life expectancy for Wood in 1940 was 33, and 75 in 2004.

Wood Family History

Wood Surname Meaning

15 million record(s) for Wood

Search for a relative to learn more about your family history.

Where is the Wood family from?

What did your Wood ancestors do for a living?

Top Male Occupations In 1921

Top Female Occupations In 1921

What Wood family records will you find?

Census Record

Passenger List

Military Records

You've only scratched the surface of Wood family history

What is the average Wood lifespan?

Discover the unique achievements of ancestors in the Wood family tree

Search for another surname

Wood Surname Meaning

15 million record(s) for Wood

Search for a relative to learn more about your family history.

Where is the Wood family from?

What did your Wood ancestors do for a living?

Top Male Occupations In 1921

Top Female Occupations In 1921

What Wood family records will you find?

Census Record

Passenger List

Military Records

You've only scratched the surface of Wood family history

What is the average Wood lifespan?

Discover the unique achievements of ancestors in the Wood family tree

Search for another surname