Woods
A common English surname meaning someone who lived by or in the woods, or was identified as "of Wood."
The #144 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 1,740 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Woods is the plural or genitive form of Wood, referring to a person associated with a wood or woodland. The underlying Old English word is wudu, meaning "wood" or "forest." In surname use, the name could mark someone who lived near a wooded area or simply be a later grammatical form of the surname Wood.
History
Historical surname dictionaries treat Woods as a straightforward variant of Wood, rather than a separate origin. It has long been common in England and later spread widely to other English-speaking countries, especially through ordinary surname transmission rather than a single famous founder line.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
In older records, Woods can appear as a genitive or pluralized form of Wood, which is why some dictionaries list it under Wood rather than as a fully separate surname.
From the historical record
“Inq. ad q. Damn., ASi. 1310-11. WOODS, genit., and pi., of Wood, q.v. WOODSIDE (Eng.) Dweller at the Side of the Wood [O.E. wudu -\- side\ WOODSON, a contr. of Wooderson, q.v. WOODSTOCK (Eng.) Bel. to Woodstock (Oxfd.), 13th cent. Wddestok = the- En- closure of the Wood [O.E. wudu + stoc'\ Henry L had a zoological…”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)Notable people named Woods
- Tiger Woods (b. 1975)
- James Woods (b. 1947)
- Lil Uzi Vert (b. 1995)
Sourced from Wikidata; linked to their Wikipedia page.