The ancestors of the bearers of the Easterwood family name are thought have lived in ancient Anglo-Saxon England. They were first found to the east of a wood, or perhaps in an eastern wood. It may also be derived from one of several possible villages named Eastwood. There is an Eastwood in Yorkshire, and there may have been one in Essex as well. Further research revealed that the name is derived from the Old English words east (east) and wudu (wood), which continue to have the same meaning in Modern English.
The surname Easterwood was first found in Cheshire where they held a family seat from early times.
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Easterwood research. Another 100 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1221, 1279, 1339 and 1658 are included under the topic Early Easterwood History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Until quite recently, the English language has lacked a definite system of spelling rules. Consequently, Anglo-Saxon surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. Changes in Anglo-Saxon names were influenced by the evolution of the English language, as it incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other languages. Although Medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, so it is common to find one person referred to by several different spellings of his surname, even the most literate people varied the spelling of their own names. Variations of the name Easterwood include Eastwood, Eastwoods, Estwoud, Estwude, Eastwude and many more.
More information is included under the topic Early Easterwood Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Some of the Easterwood family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 34 words (2 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Searching for a better life, many English families migrated to British colonies. Unfortunately, the majority of them traveled under extremely harsh conditions: overcrowding on the ships caused the majority of the immigrants to arrive diseased, famished, and destitute from the long journey across the ocean. For those families that arrived safely, modest prosperity was attainable, and many went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the new colonies. Research into the origins of individual families in North America revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Easterwood or a variant listed above: