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Woodhouse Family History

Woodhouse Surname Meaning

English:: habitational name from any of various places (in Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, Yorkshire, Northumberland, Shropshire, and elsewhere) called Woodhouse, or a topographic name for someone who lived at a ‘house in the wood’ (Middle English wode hous, Old English wudu hūs).

Variant of Woodiwiss from Middle English wodewose, which by the 16th century was sometimes written as wodowes, woodose, and wodehouse.

The confusion with woodhouse probably arose because both words (and both names) were pronounced /wudus/ or /wudǝs/ in local dialect.

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


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Where is the Woodhouse family from?

You can see how Woodhouse families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Woodhouse family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Woodhouse families were found in United Kingdom in 1891. In 1891 there were 1,513 Woodhouse families living in Yorkshire. This was about 21% of all the recorded Woodhouse's in United Kingdom. Yorkshire had the highest population of Woodhouse families in 1891.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Woodhouse surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.
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What did your Woodhouse ancestors do for a living?

In 1939, General Labourer and Unpaid Domestic Duties were the top reported jobs for men and women in the United Kingdom named Woodhouse. 8% of Woodhouse men worked as a General Labourer and 66% of Woodhouse women worked as an Unpaid Domestic Duties. Some less common occupations for Americans named Woodhouse were Retired and Private Means.

View Census Data for Woodhouse | 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.

Top Male Occupations In 1939

  • General Labourer
    8%
  • Builders Labourer
    4%
  • Incapacitated
    3%
  • Retired
    3%

Top Female Occupations In 1939

  • Unpaid Domestic Duties
    66%
  • Unpaid Domestic
    3%
  • Housewife
    2%
  • Private Means
    2%

What Woodhouse family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 148,000 census records available for the last name Woodhouse. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Woodhouse census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search UK census records for Woodhouse

Passenger Lists

There are 14,000 immigration records available for the last name Woodhouse. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in the UK, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

View all Woodhouse immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 12,000 military records available for the last name Woodhouse. For the veterans among your Woodhouse ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Woodhouse military records

You've only scratched the surface of Woodhouse family history

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What is the average Woodhouse lifespan?

Between 1944 and 2004, in the United States, Woodhouse life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1944, and highest in 1999. The average life expectancy for Woodhouse in 1944 was 22, and 77 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Woodhouse

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Woodhouse ancestors lived in harsh conditions. A short lifespan might also indicate health problems that were once prevalent in your family. The SSDI is a searchable database of more than 70 million names. You can find birthdates, death dates, addresses and more.

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