Woodbridge History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Early Origins of the Woodbridge family

The surname Woodbridge was first found in Suffolk at Woodbridge, a market-town and parish, and the head of a union, in the hundred of Loes. "This town is of considerable antiquity, for, in the time of Edward the Confessor, the prior and convent of Ely had possession here, and their successors still hold the manor of Kingston: the name is thought to be a corruption of Wodenbryge, from the Saxon god Woden. Towards the termination of the 12th century, a priory of Augustine canons was founded here by Ernaldus Rufus and others, and dedicated to the Virgin Mary. " 1

In Saxon times, the parish was known as Oddebruge c. 1050 but by the Domesday Book of 1086, it was known as Wudebrige. 2 As one would expect, literally the place name means "wooden bridge" or "bridge by the wood." 3 4

The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 listed John de Wudebrege, Cambridgeshire; and Thomas de Wudebrige, Wiltshire. 5

Despite the importance of Suffolk, the first listing of the family was in Somerset where Alan de Wodebrig held lands in 1243. 6

Early History of the Woodbridge family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Woodbridge research. Another 79 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1275, 1455, 1487, 1564, 1582, 1593, 1595, 1613, 1614, 1622, 1634, 1637, 1638, 1639, 1640, 1641, 1642, 1645, 1663, 1677, 1684 and 1696 are included under the topic Early Woodbridge History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Woodbridge Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Woodbridge, Woobrige, Woodbrigg, Wudbridge and others.

Early Notables of the Woodbridge family

Distinguished members of the family include

John Woodbridge (1582-1637), Rector of Stanton Fitzwarren, Wiltshire; and his son, Benjamin Woodbridge (1622-1684), an English clergyman and controversialist who emigrated to America in 1639 to become...
John Woodbridge (1613-1696), brother of Benjamin, was born at Stanton, near Highworth, in 1613. He went to America in 1634 and took up lands at Newbury in New England, acted as first town clerk till 1...

Woodbridge migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Woodbridge Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

John Woodbridge VI (1613-1696), from Stanton, Wiltshire who landed in Newbury, Massachusetts in 1634, became the first town clerk in 1638, one of the founders of Andover 7
Elizabeth Woodbridge, aged 22, who arrived in Virginia in 1635 7
Jo. Woodbridge, aged 32, who arrived in Virginiga in 1635 aboard the ship "Assurance" 8
Benjamin Woodbridge, who landed in New England in 1642 7
Mary Woodbridge, who arrived in Virginia in 1658 7
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Woodbridge Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Susanna Woodbridge, who landed in Virginia in 1711 7
Ruth Woodbridge, who arrived in Boston, Massachusetts in 1748 7
Edward Woodbridge, who arrived in America in 1765 7

Woodbridge migration to Australia +

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

Woodbridge Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Robert Woodbridge, English convict from Bristol, who was transported aboard the "Adamant" on March 16, 1821, settling in New South Wales, Australia 9
Mr. John Woodbridge, (b. 1794), aged 32, English farmer's man who was convicted in Oxford, Oxfordshire, England for life for stealing, transported aboard the "England"on 28th April 1826, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, he died in 1852 10
Mr. Colin Woodbridge, English convict who was convicted in Worcestershire, England for life, transported aboard the "Florentia" on 11th August 1830, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 11
John Woodbridge, who arrived in Phillip aboard the ship "Samuel Boddington" in 1850 12
Henry Woodbridge, aged 35, a shoemaker, who arrived in South Australia in 1853 aboard the ship "William Stuart" 13

Contemporary Notables of the name Woodbridge (post 1700) +

Frederick James Eugene Woodbridge (1867-1940), American philosopher and founder of the Journal of Philosophy
William Woodbridge (1780-1861), American politician, Representative from Michigan at-large, 1835; Member of Michigan State Senate 1st District, 1838-40; Governor of Michigan, 1840-41; U.S. Senator from Michigan, 1841-47 14
James R. Woodbridge, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for Michigan State House of Representatives from Kent County 2nd District, 1942 14
G. M. Woodbridge, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from Ohio, 1856 14
Frederick Enoch Woodbridge (1818-1888), American Republican politician, Member of Connecticut State House of Representatives, 1857-58; Member of Vermont State Senate, 1860-62 14
Enoch Woodbridge (1750-1805), American politician, Justice of Vermont State Supreme Court, 1794-1800 14
Dudley Woodbridge (1782-1844), American politician, Member of Connecticut State House of Representatives from Manchester, 1831 14
Cora M. Woodbridge (1862-1949), American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from California, 1920 14
Todd Woodbridge (b. 1971), OAM, Australian tennis player
Stanley James Woodbridge (1921-1945), British George Cross recipient
... (Another 2 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Citations +

Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
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)
Pilgrim Ship's of 1600's. Retrieved January 6th 2023 from https://www.packrat-pro.com/ships/shiplist.htm
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2016, October 27) Adamant voyage to New South Wales, Australia in 1821 with 144 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/adamant/1821
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 24th April 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/england
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 11th October 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/florentia
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) SAMUEL BODDINGTON 1850. Retrieved http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1850SamuelBoddington.htm
South Australian Register Friday 15 July 1853. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) William Stuart 1853. Retrieved http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/australia/williamstuart1853.shtml
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 25) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html