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Irish surname

Woods: Irish Surname History & Coat of Arms

de Bhóid · Middle English 'atte Wode', i.e. 'at the wood', from residence thereby (Woulfe's entry for Wood and Woods)

Woulfe (1923) prints Woods under de Bhóid, from Middle English 'atte Wode' (at the wood), a rather common surname in early Anglo-Irish records. He adds that it is now impossible to tell it apart from the many Irish surnames that have been anglicised Wood or Woods. In 1890, 137 Woods birth entries were registered in Ireland, 84 of them in Ulster.

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Coat of arms associated with the Woods surname
Irish formde Bhóid
MeaningMiddle English 'atte Wode', i.e. 'at the wood', from residence thereby (Woulfe's entry for Wood and Woods)
CountiesAntrim, Armagh, Down, Monaghan
Other spellings5
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Woods crest gifts

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Origin of the Woods name

Woulfe: de Bhóid is Middle English 'atte Wode' (at the wood), 'a rather common surname in early Anglo-Irish records', but 'it is now impossible to distinguish it from the many Irish surnames that have been anglicised Wood or Woods'. No single origin applies to every bearer of the name Woods.[1]

  1. 1890137 Woods birth entries in Ireland: Leinster 27, Munster 18, Ulster 84, Connaught 8.[8]

Where in Ireland

Co. AntrimMatheson 1890: one of the counties in which Woods was 'principally found'; 'a scattered name'.[8]
Co. ArmaghMatheson 1890: one of the counties in which Woods was 'principally found'.[8]
Co. DownMatheson 1890: one of the counties in which Woods was 'principally found'.[8]
Co. MonaghanMatheson 1890: one of the counties in which Woods was 'principally found'.[8]
Co. TyroneMatheson 1890: one of the counties in which Woods was 'principally found'.[8]
Co. DublinMatheson 1890: one of the counties in which Woods was 'principally found'.[8]
Co. LouthMatheson 1890: one of the counties in which Woods was 'principally found'.[8]
Co. CorkMatheson 1890: one of the counties in which Woods was 'principally found'.[8]

Other spellings

Wood · Ellwood · Killimith · Kilmet · Smallwoods[1]

The Woods coat of arms

The design shown is a coat of arms associated with the Woods surname. In Irish and British heraldry a coat of arms is granted to one person and passes to their heirs; it does not belong to everyone who shares the surname. Many families still use the arms of their name as a symbol of their heritage.

Woods surname: questions

Is Woods an Irish surname?

Woulfe prints Wood and Woods under de Bhóid, from Middle English 'atte Wode' (at the wood), found in early Anglo-Irish records. He says it is now impossible to distinguish it from the many Irish surnames that have been anglicised Wood or Woods, so no single origin applies to every bearer.[1]

Which Irish surnames have been anglicised as Woods?

Woulfe names several in which Woods appears. Ó Cuill (Cork and Kerry) and Mac Conchoille ('hound of the wood') are given with Woods as a 'translation'; Mac Connaidh, Mac Conchoillín and Ó Caoilte (Woods 'in parts of Connacht') are others. He says Mac Uilliméid, a rare Westmeath name, is sometimes incorrectly 'translated' Woods.[2][3][4][5][6][7]

Where in Ireland was the Woods name found in 1890?

Matheson lists 137 Woods birth entries for 1890, of which 84 were in Ulster. He gives Antrim, Armagh, Down, Monaghan, Tyrone, Dublin, Louth and Cork as the counties in which it was principally found, and calls it 'a scattered name'.[8]

Sources

  1. de BHÓID — Irish Names and Surnames (Rev. Patrick Woulfe, 1923), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/names/d/de-bhoid.php
  2. Ó CUILL — Irish Names and Surnames (Woulfe, 1923), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/names/oc/o-cuill.php
  3. Mac CONCHOILLE, Mac CONCHOILLEADH — Irish Names and Surnames (Woulfe, 1923), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/names/macc/mac-conchoille-mac-conchoilleadh.php
  4. Mac CONNAIDH — Irish Names and Surnames (Woulfe, 1923), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/names/macc/mac-connaidh.php
  5. Mac CONCHOILLÍN — Irish Names and Surnames (Woulfe, 1923), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/names/macc/mac-conchoillin.php
  6. Ó CAOILTE, Ó CAOILTIGH — Irish Names and Surnames (Woulfe, 1923), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/names/oc/o-caoilte.php
  7. Mac UILLIMÉID — Irish Names and Surnames (Woulfe, 1923), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/names/macu/mac-uillimeid.php
  8. Woods — Birth Indexes of 1890 — Special Report on Surnames in Ireland (Robert E. Matheson, 1909), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/matheson/report/births/woods.php
  9. Woods — Varieties and Synonymes of Surnames and Christian Names in Ireland (Robert E. Matheson, 1901), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/matheson/varieties/list/2075.php

Note: Matheson's 1890 figures for a surname include its spelling varieties (Matheson, Table Explanation).