Woodcocke History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

Early Origins of the Woodcocke family

The surname Woodcocke was first found in Norfolk where William Wdecoch was listed in the Pipe Rolls of 1175. One year later in 1176, the Pipe Rolls of Hertfordshire listed Roger Wudecoc and in 1200, the Feet of Fines for Essex noted William Widecoc as holding lands there at that time. 1

There are two theories as the the origin of the name. The first is that it was derived from the Anglo/Saxon name Wudu-coc and the more common second theory that the name was derived as a nickname from the bird 'woodcock' and "at one time a common term for a simpleton in many early plays. " 2

There are also two early entries for the family in Scotland: William Wodcok, Burgess of Glasgow, 1488 and Francis Wodcok who held land there in 1552. 3

Early History of the Woodcocke family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Woodcocke research. Another 85 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1273, 1603, 1643, 1646 and 1850 are included under the topic Early Woodcocke History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Woodcocke Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Woodcock, Woodcocke, Woodkooke, Woodcott, Wudcock and many more.

Early Notables of the Woodcocke family

Notables of this surname at this time include: Martin Woodcock (1603-1646), alias John Farington, an English Franciscan martyr. "Born in 1603 at Clayton-le-Wood, Lancashire, he appears to have belonged to the Lancashire families of Farington or Woodcock, though it is not clear which was his real name, nor has his parentage been traced. Towards the end of 1643...
Another 57 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Woodcocke Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Woodcocke family to Ireland

Some of the Woodcocke family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 36 words (3 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Woodcocke migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Woodcocke Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Jon Woodcocke, who arrived in Virginia in 1637 4
John Woodcocke, who landed in Virginia in 1639 4

Citations +

Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
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)