Magwood History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The name Magwood came to England with the ancestors of the Magwood family in the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Magwood family lived in Mackworth, a town in Derbyshire. The place name was rendered Macheuorde in the Domesday Book, a census taken by William the Conqueror twenty years after his conquest of England to determine the extent and value of his holdings for taxation purposes in 1086. It is a compound of the Old English personal name Macca and the suffix worth, which meant enclosure, or farm. Therefore the place name translates as "Macca's farm." It is from this name that the family name is derived.

Early Origins of the Magwood family

The surname Magwood was first found in Derbyshire where this Gaelic sounding name held a family seat as Lords of the Manor of Mackworth at the time of the taking of the Domesday Book in 1086 A.D. In 1086 the manor was held by Earl Hugh of Mackworth and there is still evidence of the ruined castle.

Early History of the Magwood family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Magwood research. Another 103 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1619 and 1803 are included under the topic Early Magwood History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Magwood Spelling Variations

Multitudes of spelling variations are a hallmark of Anglo Norman names. Most of these names evolved in the 11th and 12th century, in the time after the Normans introduced their own Norman French language into a country where Old and Middle English had no spelling rules and the languages of the court were French and Latin. To make matters worse, medieval scribes spelled words according to sound, so names frequently appeared differently in the various documents in which they were recorded. The name was spelled McWorth, MacWorth, Mackworth, Worth, Macwirth, McWirth, MacWirth, MacWurth, McWurth, McWyrth and many more.

Early Notables of the Magwood family

More information is included under the topic Early Magwood Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Magwood Ranking

In the United States, the name Magwood is the 14,558^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1

Migration of the Magwood family to Ireland

Some of the Magwood family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 49 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Magwood migration to the United States +

Because of this political and religious unrest within English society, many people decided to immigrate to the colonies. Families left for Ireland, North America, and Australia in enormous numbers, traveling at high cost in extremely inhospitable conditions. The New World in particular was a desirable destination, but the long voyage caused many to arrive sick and starving. Those who made it, though, were welcomed by opportunities far greater than they had known at home in England. Many of these families went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Magwood or a variant listed above:

Magwood Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Robert Magwood, who landed in South Carolina in 1810 2
James Magwood, who arrived in Charleston, South Carolina in 1824 2

Contemporary Notables of the name Magwood (post 1700) +

Thomas Magwood (1851-1933), Canadian farmer and politician who represented Perth North in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario (1891-1898)
Charlie Magwood, Irish footballer who played from 1908 to 1916

Citations +

"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
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)