Explore the Family Name Woodbeck
The meaning of Woodbeck
1. Possibly English: habitational name from Woodbeck, a place in Nottinghamshire, named in Middle English with wode ‘wood’ + beck ‘stream’. However, this surname is not found in current English sources. 2. Possibly an Americanized form of Dutch Woudbeek: topographic name for someone living by a stream in the wood (compare sense 1 above). The surname Woudbeek is no longer found in the Netherlands.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Woodbeck in the United States?
Based on data from the Decennial U.S. Census, the surname Woodbeck's popularity saw a slight decrease between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, it was ranked as the 42,437th most popular surname, but by 2010 it had dropped to the 44,653rd spot, marking a change of -5.22%. Interestingly, the count of individuals with the Woodbeck surname remained stable at 481 for both years, suggesting that the overall population growth outpaced the increase in people with this name. The proportion of people named Woodbeck per 100,000 also decreased by 11.11% over the same period.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #42,437 | #44,653 | -5.22% |
| Count | 481 | 481 | 0% |
| Proportion per 100k | 0.18 | 0.16 | -11.11% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Woodbeck
The ethnic identity associated with the Woodbeck surname also experienced shifts between 2000 and 2010, according to the Decennial U.S. Census data. There were no recorded instances of Woodbecks identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander or American Indian and Alaskan Native in either year. The percentage of Woodbecks who identified as White increased slightly from 93.76% to 95.22%, while those identifying as Black decreased significantly from 3.53% to 1.66%. The number of Woodbecks identifying as Hispanic saw a significant jump of 59.62%, despite still being a small percentage of the total. Notably, there was a complete drop off in the category of two or more races, going from 1.04% in 2000 down to 0% in 2010.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 93.76% | 95.22% | 1.56% |
| Hispanic | 1.04% | 1.66% | 59.62% |
| Black | 3.53% | 1.66% | -52.97% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Two or More Races | 1.04% | 0% | 0% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0% | 0% | 0% |