Southwood Family History
Southwood Name Meaning
English:: habitational name from one or more of several places in southern England especially in Devon named with Middle English bi southe wode ‘(place) to the south of the wood’. habitational name from one or more minor places called Southwood or Sowood from Middle English south(e) + wode ‘south wood’. Sowood in Osset (Yorkshire) is the most likely source of the Yorkshire name. There may have been confusion with Southworth .
Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022