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Show ContentsGreenwood History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

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Family Crest Download (JPG) Heritage Series - 600 DPI

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The surname Greenwood is a name of ancient Anglo-Saxon origin and comes from the Old English words meaning "green" and "wood." No doubt, the first family to bear this name lived in or near a dense forest or "whose abode was 'the merrie green-wood.' " 1

Early Origins of the Greenwood family

The surname Greenwood was first found in Yorkshire where the name is "a well-known Yorkshire name. Of course other spots might give rise to the surname. But it is absolutely certain that some small spot between Huddersfield and Slaithwaite has given birth to the Greenwoods, who have ramified so marvelously in that county." 2

As one might expect, the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379, list Johannes de Grenewode et Agnes uxor ejus, ffarmour de Graunge in Huddersfield; Johanna de Grenewoode; and Ricardus de Grenewode. 2

The Greenward variant is an interesting one. In this case, the name literally means "keeper of the village green" from the Old English word "weard" and the first record of the family was Adam Grenewerde who was listed in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1276 in Yorkshire. The same rolls also listed John de Grenewode and also holding lands in Yorkshire at that time. 3

Early History of the Greenwood family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Greenwood research. Another 143 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1275, 1558, 1561, 1592, 1593, 1609, 1711 and 1737 are included under the topic Early Greenwood History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Greenwood Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Greenwood, Greenwoode, Greanwood, Greenewood, Grunewood, Greenwude, Greenewude, Greenwud and many more.

Early Notables of the Greenwood family

Distinguished members of the family include

  • John Greenwood (died 1593), an English clergyman and religious reformer, executed in 1593. "On 5 Dec. 1592 Greenwood and Johnson were arrested shortly after midnight at the house of Edward Boys in Fle...
  • John Greenwood (d. 1609), was an English schoolmaster who was matriculated as a pensioner of St. John's College, Cambridge, in 1558; removed to Catharine Hall, of which he was afterwards fellow; proce...
  • James Greenwood (d. 1737), was an English grammarian who was for some time usher to Benjamin Morland at Hackney, but soon after 1711 opened a boarding-school at Woodford in Essex. 4

Greenwood World Ranking

In the United States, the name Greenwood is the 1,276th most popular surname with an estimated 24,870 people with that name. 5 However, in Australia, the name Greenwood is ranked the 559th most popular surname with an estimated 6,873 people with that name. 6 And in New Zealand, the name Greenwood is the 582nd popular surname with an estimated 1,227 people with that name. 7 The United Kingdom ranks Greenwood as 278th with 21,898 people. 8

United States Greenwood migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Greenwood Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Richard Greenwood, who arrived in Virginia in 1637 9
  • Judeth Greenwood, who arrived in Virginia in 1651 9
  • Nathaniel Greenwood who settled in Boston, Massachusetts in the year 1654
  • Armagall Greenwood, who arrived in Virginia in 1656 9
  • Armagill Greenwood, who landed in Maryland in 1659 9
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Greenwood Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Naomy Greenwood, who arrived in Virginia in 1701 9
Greenwood Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • James Greenwood, who arrived in America in 1811 9
  • John Greenwood, who arrived in New York in 1835 9
  • Miss Julia H. Greenwood, (b. 1820), aged 28, Barbadian settler traveling aboard the ship "Bermudiana" arriving in Philadelphia in 1848 10
  • Miss Elizabeth H. Greenwood, (b. 1821), aged 27, Barbadian settler traveling aboard the ship "Bermudiana" arriving in Philadelphia in 1848 10
  • Miss Sarah H. Greenwood, (b. 1823), aged 25, Barbadian settler traveling aboard the ship "Bermudiana" arriving in Philadelphia in 1848 10
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Canada Greenwood migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Greenwood Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
  • Eliza Greenwood, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1750
  • John Greenwood, who landed in Nava Scotia in 1750
  • Phillis Greenwood, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1750
  • Robert Greenwood, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1750
  • Mr. John Greenwood U.E. born in Newcastle, Delaware, USA who settled in Saint John, New Brunswick c. 1784 11
Greenwood Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
  • John Greenwood, his wife, Elizabeth, and four children later settled in Upper Canada

Australia Greenwood migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Greenwood Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mr. William Greenwood, English convict who was convicted in Lancaster, Lancashire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Elizabeth" in May 1816, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 12
  • Mr. Henry Greenwood, English convict who was convicted in Lancaster, Lancashire, England for 14 years, transported aboard the "Baring" in December 1818, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 13
  • William Greenwood, English convict from London, who was transported aboard the "Agamemnon" on April 22, 1820, settling in New South Wales, Australia 14
  • Mr. John Greenwood, (James), English convict who was convicted in York, Yorkshire, England for 14 years for theft, transported aboard the "Eliza" on 13th July 1822, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, he died in 1830 15
  • James Greenwood, English convict from Surrey, who was transported aboard the "Albion" on May 17, 1823, settling in Van Diemen's Land, Australia 16
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

New Zealand Greenwood migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Greenwood Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • J H Greenwood, who landed in Wellington, New Zealand in 1840
  • James Greenwood, aged 21, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Duke of Roxburgh" in 1840 17
  • Mr. J.Greenwood, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Duke of Roxburgh" arriving in Wellington, New Zealand in 1840 18
  • Mr. J. H. Greenwood, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Lady Nugent" arriving in Wellington, New Zealand on 17th March 1841 18
  • William Greenwood, aged 33, a stonemason, who arrived in Port Nicholson aboard the ship "Slains Castle" in 1841
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

West Indies Greenwood migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 19
Greenwood Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century
  • Mr. Thomas Greenwood, (b. 1620), aged 15, British settler travelling from London, England aboard the ship "Peter Bonaventure" arriving in Barbados and St Christopher (Saint Kitts) in 1635 20
  • John Greenwood was banished to Barbados in 1679 later was transferred to Virginia

Contemporary Notables of the name Greenwood (post 1700) +

  • William Warren "Bill" Greenwood (1942-2020), American television reporter known for his work with ABC News
  • John Greenwood (1727-1792), early American portrait painter and engraver
  • John Greenwood (1760-1819), American George Washington's dentist, the "Father of Modern Dentistry" and Revolutionary War patriot
  • Don Greenwood, American board game designer
  • Chester Greenwood (1858-1937), American inventor of the earmuff in 1873, at the age of 15
  • Frances Charlotte Greenwood (1890-1977), American actress and dancer
  • Caleb Greenwood (1763-1850), Western American fur trapper and trail guide
  • Robert Lindsay "Bobby" Greenwood Jr. (b. 1987), former American football offensive tackle for the Kansas City Chiefs (2009-2010)
  • Robert Stanton Greenwood Jr. (b. 1938), American professional PGA golfer, PGA of America Life Member
  • Arthur Herbert Greenwood (1880-1963), American politician, Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Indiana (1923-1933) and (1933-1939), House Majority Whip (1933-1935)
  • ... (Another 58 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Bradford City stadium fire
  • Rupert Benedict Greenwood (1974-1985), from Denholme who attended the Bradford City and Lincoln City Third Division match on 11th May 1985 when the Bradford City stadium fire occurred and he died in the fire
  • Peter Greenwood (1939-1985), from Denholme who attended the Bradford City and Lincoln City Third Division match on 11th May 1985 when the Bradford City stadium fire occurred and he died in the fire
  • Felix Winspear Greenwood (1972-1985), from Denholme who attended the Bradford City and Lincoln City Third Division match on 11th May 1985 when the Bradford City stadium fire occurred and he died in the fire
HMAS Sydney II
  • Mr. James Herbert Greenwood (1923-1941), Australian Ordinary Seaman from Bundaberg, Queensland, Australia, who sailed into battle aboard HMAS Sydney II and died in the sinking 21
HMS Prince of Wales
  • Mr. Lionel John Baker Greenwood, British Able Seaman, who sailed into battle on the HMS Prince of Wales (1941) and died in the sinking 22
HMS Repulse
  • Mr. Wilfred Greenwood, British Cook "O, who sailed into battle on the HMS Repulse (1941) and survived the sinking 23
HMS Royal Oak
  • Leonard Greenwood (1919-1939), British Able Seaman with the Royal Navy aboard the HMS Royal Oak (1939) when she was torpedoed by U-47 and sunk; he died in the sinking 24
RMS Lusitania
  • Master Ronald Sutcliffe Greenwood, American 2nd Class passenger from Lawrence, Kansas, USA, who sailed aboard the RMS Lusitania (1915) and died in the sinking 25

Suggested Readings for the name Greenwood +

  • Greenwood Genealogies, 1154-1914: The Ancestry and Descendants of Thomas Greenwood of Newton, Mass., Nathaniel and Samuel Greenwood of Boston, Mass., John Greenwood of Virginia, and Many Later Arrivals in America, Also the Early History of the Greenwoods in England and the Arms They Used by Frederick Greenwood.
  1. Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
  2. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  3. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  4. Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
  5. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  6. "Most Common Last Names in Australia." Forebears, https://forebears.io/australia/surnames
  7. "Most Common Last Names in New Zealand." Forebears, https://forebears.io/new-zealand/surnames
  8. "UK surname ranking." UK Surname map, https://www.surnamemap.eu/unitedkingdom/surnames_ranking.php?p=10
  9. Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
  10. Barbados archives retrieved 2nd November 2021 from https://attheBarbadosarchives.wordpress.com/2003/07/18/Barbados-heritage-passenger-lists-and-Barbados-departures/
  11. Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
  12. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 1st March 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/elizabeth
  13. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 16th September 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/baring
  14. State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2016, October 27) Agamemnon voyage to New South Wales, Australia in 1820 with 179 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/agamemnon/1820
  15. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 15th February 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/eliza
  16. State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2016, October 27) Albion voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1823 with 200 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/albion/1823
  17. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 5th November 2010). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  18. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  19. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
  20. Pilgrim Ship Lists Early 1600's. Retrieved 23rd September 2021 from https://www.packrat-pro.com/ships/shiplist.htm
  21. HMAS Sydney II, Finding Sydney Foundation - Roll of Honour. (Retrieved 2014, April 24) . Retrieved from http://www.findingsydney.com/roll.asp
  22. HMS Prince of Wales Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listprincecrew.html
  23. HMS Repulse Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listrepulsecrew.html
  24. Ships hit by U-boats crew list HMS Royal Oak (08) - (Retrieved 2018 February, 9th) - retrieved from https://uboat.net/allies/merchants/crews/ship68.html
  25. Lusitania Passenger List - The Lusitania Resource. (Retrieved 2014, March 6) . Retrieved from http://www.rmslusitania.info/lusitania-passenger-list/
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