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Woods Family History

Woods Surname Meaning

English: variant of Wood with plural or post-medieval excrescent -s.

Irish: adopted as a translation of Ó Cuill ‘descendant of Coll’ (see Quill) or in Ulster of Mac Con Coille ‘son of Cú Choille’ a personal name meaning ‘hound of the wood’ which has also been mistranslated Cox as if formed with coileach ‘cock rooster’.

In some cases also an Americanized form of French Dubois and Gadbois.

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


Similar surnames: 

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Where is the Woods family from?

You can see how Woods families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Woods family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Woods families were found in USA in 1880. In 1891 there were 5,520 Woods families living in Lancashire. This was about 28% of all the recorded Woods's in United Kingdom. Lancashire had the highest population of Woods families in 1891.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Woods 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 Woods 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 Woods. 8% of Woods men worked as a General Labourer and 65% of Woods women worked as an Unpaid Domestic Duties. Some less common occupations for Americans named Woods were Incapacitated and Private Means.

View Census Data for Woods | 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
    3%
  • Bricklayer
    3%
  • Incapacitated
    2%

Top Female Occupations In 1939

  • Unpaid Domestic Duties
    65%
  • Unpaid Domestic
    3%
  • Housewife
    2%
  • Private Means
    2%

What Woods family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 1 million census records available for the last name Woods. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Woods census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search UK census records for Woods

Passenger Lists

There are 107,000 immigration records available for the last name Woods. 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 Woods immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 181,000 military records available for the last name Woods. For the veterans among your Woods ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Woods military records

You've only scratched the surface of Woods family history

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What is the average Woods lifespan?

Between 1940 and 2004, in the United States, Woods life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1942, and highest in 2003. The average life expectancy for Woods in 1940 was 46, and 72 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Woods

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Woods 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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