Wooden History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

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England

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Early Origins of the Wooden family

The surname Wooden was first found in Essex, where there are no fewer that three townships and parishes so named: Woodham-Ferris in the union and hundred of Chelmsford; Woodham-Mortimer, a parish, in the union of Maldon, hundred of Dengie; and Woodham-Walter a parish, in the union of Maldon, hundred of Dengie. 1

Literally the place names mean "dweller at the enclosure by the Wood [Old English wudu + ham(m)] where the Middle English form was usually Wodeham. " 2 The name is often pluralized to Woodhams. 3

Ironically, there was only one listing of the family in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273, Thomas de Wodeham, as the rest were found as follows: Peter de Wodeham, Northamptonshire; Egipgidias de Wodeham, London; and Reginald de Wodeham, Gloucestershire. 4

Adam Goddam or Woodham (d. 1358) was a Franciscan, "born towards the end of the thirteenth century, and attended Ockham's lectures on the 'Sentences' of Peter Lombard at Oxford, where he was presumably a member of the Franciscan convent. His studies under Ockham must have ended in the first years of the fourteenth century, when his master went to Paris." 5

One source claims that the family or a branch of the family was originally found in Dorset where they held a family seat from very ancient times, at Catherston-Lewston, a parish, in the union of Bridport, hundred of Whitchurch Canonicorum. "This place was the residence of a branch of the Wadhams, by one of whom, Nicholas Wadham, and Dorothy his wife, Wadham College, Oxford, was founded. " 1

The Woodend variant is interesting, in that Bardsley notes "this surname still exists in Furness, North Lancashire. My instances prove it to have been there for 300 years at least. No doubt it has existed there for six centuries." 4 Despite this, he goes on to note the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 records Adam de Wodeshende, Dorset, hundreds of miles away. Later the Lancashire Wills at Richmond includes: Nicholas Woodend, of Ulverston, 1624 and James Woodend, of Lowick, 1662.

Early History of the Wooden family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Wooden research. Another 80 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1613, 1625, 1743, 1769, 1773, 1789 and 1803 are included under the topic Early Wooden History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Wooden Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Woodham, Wodam, Wodham and others.

Early Notables of the Wooden family

Notables of this surname at this time include: Mrs Woodham, (1743-1803), née Spenser. She was an English singer and actress and "known on account of the elegance of her dress and person as 'Buck' Spencer. She played at Covent Garden Euphrosyne in 'Comus,' and was regarded as a rival to Miss Brent, subsequently Mrs. Pinto. She sang at Marylebone Gardens under Dr. Arnold, from whom she...
Another 65 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Wooden Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Wooden Ranking

In the United States, the name Wooden is the 3,804^th most popular surname with an estimated 7,461 people with that name. 6

Wooden migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Wooden Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Mary Wooden, who arrived in Maryland in 1663 7

Wooden Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Peter Wooden, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1850 7
Miss Wooden, aged 23, who settled in America, in 1893
Robert J. Wooden, aged 27, who immigrated to the United States, in 1895

Wooden Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

S. Wooden, who landed in America, in 1904
H.S. Wooden, aged 22, who landed in America, in 1905
Stewart L. Wooden, aged 32, who immigrated to America, in 1917
Warren Wooden, aged 35, who landed in America, in 1923
Ben Wooden, aged 20, who settled in America, in 1923
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Wooden migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Wooden Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

John Wooden, who landed in Halifax, Nova Scotia in 1749-1752

Wooden Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Thomas Wooden, who arrived in Canada in 1830

Wooden 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:

Wooden Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mr. James Wooden, (b. 1854), aged 20, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Peter Denny" arriving in Port Chalmers, Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 26th July 1874 8

Contemporary Notables of the name Wooden (post 1700) +

Shawn Wooden (b. 1973), American former NFL football safety who played from 1996 to 2004
John Robert Wooden (1910-2010), American NCAA basketball coach and recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, nicknamed the "Wizard of Westwood," inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame (1961) and the College Basketball Hall of Fame (2006)
Josh Wooden (b. 1978), Australian rules footballer who played from 1997 to 2007
Charles Wooden (1827-1875), German recipient of the Victoria Cross