2000
#1,258
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 25,626
First available Census row
Per 100,000 9.50
Uncommon Last name
Woodruff
A surname referring to someone who lived near a wood overgrown with rue, a bitter medicinal herb.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 28,592 Americans carry the last name Woodruff. That puts it at #1,396 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 8.34 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 11,988 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Woodruff surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Woodruff with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
29K
1 in 11,988
Census rank
#1,396
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
8.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
25K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 24,934 bearers of the surname Woodruff in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 8.34 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1396th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Woodruff, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.0%. The next largest groups are Black (11.7%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Woodruff
The surname Woodruff is of English origin, derived from the Old English words "wudu" meaning wood and "hryffe" meaning rough or overgrown with bushes. It was initially an occupational name for someone who lived near or worked in a densely wooded area.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire in 1176, where it is spelled "Wuderove". The Domesday Book, compiled in 1086, also mentions several places with names containing the element "wudu", suggesting the name's antiquity.
During the Middle Ages, the name was found in various parts of England, particularly in the counties of Cheshire, Lancashire, and Yorkshire. In the 13th century, records show a Gilbert Woderoue residing in Cheshire, while a Richard Woderove was documented in Yorkshire in 1273.
Notable individuals with the surname Woodruff include John Woodruff (c. 1570-1637), an English clergyman and author, and Samuel Woodruff (1636-1683), one of the founders of the town of Southold, New York. In more recent times, there was Harry Woodruff (1887-1952), an American actor, and Ann Woodruff (1923-2014), an American actress known for her roles in several Broadway productions.
Another prominent figure was William Woodruff (1916-2008), an American historian and author who wrote extensively on the American West and the Indian Wars. He is particularly renowned for his book "Revolt Against the Modern World" (1958), which explored the lives of several Native American leaders.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name in America dates back to the 17th century, when a family of Woodruffs settled in Hartford, Connecticut. Over time, the name spread to various parts of the United States, with concentrations found in states like New York, Pennsylvania, and Ohio.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Woodruff
Among Census respondents with the surname Woodruff, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.0%. The next largest groups are Black (11.7%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Woodruff bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Woodruff surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White80.0% · 19,938
- Black or African American11.7% · 2,919
- Two or more races4.0% · 993
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 758
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 173
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 153
Timeline
Historical Census data for Woodruff
Woodruff appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#1,341
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 26,286
+660 bearers (+2.6%)
Per 100,000 8.91
Rank movement Down 83 places
2020
#1,396
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 24,934
-1,352 bearers (-5.1%)
Per 100,000 8.34
Rank movement Down 55 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,258 | 25,626 | 9.50 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,341 | 26,286 | 8.91 | +660 bearers (+2.6%) | Down 83 places |
| 2020 | #1,396 | 24,934 | 8.34 | -1,352 bearers (-5.1%) | Down 55 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Woodruff surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #1,341 | #1,396 | -4.1% |
| Count | 26,286 | 24,934 | -5.1% |
| Per 100K | 8.91 | 8.34 | -6.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Woodruff bearers went from 26,286 to 24,934 (-5.1% change). The surname moved down 55 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,341 to #1,396.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Woodruff
FAQ
Woodruff surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Woodruff?
Name Census estimates that about 28,592 living Americans carry the surname Woodruff. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 11,988 residents.
How common is Woodruff?
Woodruff ranks #1,396 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 8.34 per 100,000 residents, which is about 8 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 24,934 people with the surname Woodruff. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (28,592), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 8.34 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 8.34 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 8 of them to have the surname Woodruff.
Has Woodruff become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Woodruff went from 26,286 recorded bearers to 24,934. That is a decrease of 1,352 (-5.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,341 to #1,396.
What does the Census say about the background of Woodruff?
Among Census respondents with the surname Woodruff, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.0%. The next largest groups are Black (11.7%) and Two or More Races (4.0%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Woodruff in the 2020 Census, accounting for 80.0% (19,938 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Woodruff appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (80.0%), Black (11.7%), Two or More Races (4.0%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Woodruff (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Woodruff mean?
A surname referring to someone who lived near a wood overgrown with rue, a bitter medicinal herb. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Woodruff (8.34 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the surname Woodruff?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.