Waldrop
An English-origin surname most likely built from a place name meaning “wooded valley” or “forest by a stream.”
The #3,405 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 29,396 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Waldrop is generally understood as a habitational surname, from a lost or minor place-name in England. It appears to combine Old English elements for a wood or woodland area and a river-bank, valley, or stream-side feature, so the name would have originally described someone who lived near a wooded hollow or wooded watercourse. Because the underlying place-name is not securely identified, the exact literal sense remains uncertain.
History
The surname is found in English-language records and later carried to North America, where it is now most common. Like many locational surnames, it would originally have distinguished a family by the place they came from rather than by occupation or personal trait. Spelling has varied over time, and Waldrop may reflect later standardization of older regional forms.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
American surname spellings often preserve older local pronunciations, which is one reason Waldrop and Waldrup can appear side by side in records.