Explore the Family Name Woodley
The meaning of Woodley
English: from Middle English wodeleie ‘woodland glade or clearing’ (Middle English wode ‘wood’ + leie ‘glade, clearing’, Old English wudu + lēah). The surname may be habitational, from Woodleigh (Devon), Woodley (Berkshire), or from any of various minor places so named, or it may be topographic, for a person who lived at or near a woodland clearing.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Woodley in the United States?
The surname Woodley decreased slightly in popularity, according to data from the Decennial U.S. Census. In 2000, it ranked 4880 and by 2010 it had dropped to ranking 5026, a decrease of 2.99%. However, the number of people with this surname increased by 5.74% during that same period, growing from 6603 in 2000 to 6982 in 2010. The proportion per 100k also saw a slight decrease of 3.27%, going from 2.45 in 2000 to 2.37 in 2010.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #4,880 | #5,026 | -2.99% |
| Count | 6,603 | 6,982 | 5.74% |
| Proportion per 100k | 2.45 | 2.37 | -3.27% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Woodley
Regarding the ethnic identity associated with this surname, the Decennial U.S. Census data shows some interesting shifts between 2000 and 2010. While the proportion of Asian/Pacific Islanders with this last name decreased by 17.07%, the percentage of those identifying as two or more races increased by 36.82%. The surname is most commonly identified with White and Black ethnic identities, with a slight decrease in the former and an increase in the latter over the decade. There was also an increase in the Hispanic population with this surname by 33.07%. The American Indian and Alaskan Native population saw a moderate increase of 9.09%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Black | 45.36% | 46.68% | 2.91% |
| White | 49.16% | 46.29% | -5.84% |
| Hispanic | 2.51% | 3.34% | 33.07% |
| Two or More Races | 2.01% | 2.75% | 36.82% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.55% | 0.6% | 9.09% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0.41% | 0.34% | -17.07% |
Woodley ancestry composition
23andMe computes an ancestry breakdown for each customer. People may have ancestry from just one population or they may have ancestry from several populations. The most commonly-observed ancestry found in people with the surname Woodley is British & Irish, which comprises 46.5% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are French & German (21.0%) and Nigerian (9.5%). Additional ancestries include Ghanaian, Liberian & Sierra Leonean, Eastern European, Angolan & Congolese, Scandinavian, and Spanish & Portuguese.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| British & Irish | 46.5% |
| French & German | 21.0% |
| Nigerian | 9.5% |
| Other | 23.0% |
Possible origins of the surname Woodley
Your DNA provides clues about where your recent ancestors may have lived. Having many distant relatives in the same location suggests that you may all share common ancestry there. Locations with many distant relatives can also be places where people have migrated recently, such as large cities. If a large number of individuals who share your surname have distant relatives in a specific area, it could indicate a connection between your surname and that location, stemming from either recent ancestral ties or migration.
Based on 23andMe data, people with last name Woodley have recent ancestry locations in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Ireland.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Merseyside, United Kingdom | 70.30% |
| Glasgow City, United Kingdom | 70.30% |
| Greater London, United Kingdom | 70.30% |
| Greater Manchester, United Kingdom | 70.30% |
| Lancashire, United Kingdom | 69.50% |
What Woodley haplogroups can tell you
Haplogroups are genetic population groups that share a common ancestor on either your paternal or maternal line. These paternal and maternal haplogroups shed light on your genetic ancestry and help tell the story of your family.
The top paternal haplogroup of people with the surname Woodley is R-CTS241, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup R-CTS241 is descended from haplogroup R-M343. Other common haplogroups include R-FGC15710 and E-L514, which are predominantly found among people with European and Sub-Saharan African ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Holloway, Edwards, Shaw, Lowe, Warren, Mathews, Parsons, Grey, Reed, Price.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Woodley surname are: H1, H, L3. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.
Paternal Haplogroup Origins R-M343Your maternal lineage may be linked to the nomadic Tuareg of the Sahara
Though haplogroup H1 rarely reaches high frequencies beyond western Europe, over 60% of eastern Tuareg in Libya belong to haplogroup H1. The Tuareg call themselves the Imazghan, meaning “free people.” They are an isolated, semi-nomadic people who inhabit the West-Central Sahara and are known today for a distinctive dark blue turban worn by the men, and for their long history as gatekeepers of the desert.How did women carrying H1 make it all the way from western Europe to this isolated community? They likely migrated from Spain across the Strait of Gibraltar into Morocco after the Last Ice Age, where they were assimilated into the Berbers of the Mediterranean coast. Then, about 5,000 years ago, the Sahara shifted from a period of relative habitable conditions to its dramatically arid desert environment. This shift may have caused migrations throughout the Sahara, prompting the ancient Tuaregs to meet and mingle with the Berbers, bringing H1 lineages into their population.
What do people with the surname Woodley have in common?
Spoiler alert: it's complicated. People with the same last name are usually no more genetically similar than a randomly sampled group of people from the same population. That said, people with the same surname are more likely to have similar ancestries than randomly sampled individuals. The reason is the tendency of people with similar cultural or geographical backgrounds to preferentially mate with one another. That's why people who share a surname may be more likely to share traits and tendencies in common than people within the general population. Check out the percentages below to see the prevalences of tastes, habits, and traits of people with your surname compared with prevalences among 23andMe users.
Preferences
Chocolate Ice Cream
Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.
"Woodley" Surname 32.4%
23andMe Users 41.3%
Traits
Misophonia
When sounds made by others, like the sound of chewing or yawning, provoke strong emotional reactions in an individual.
"Woodley" Surname 41.7%
23andMe Users 27.9%
Habits
Sugary Drink
Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.
"Woodley" Surname 28.9%
23andMe Users 21.1%
Wellness
Migraine
A severe headache characterized by intense pain, sensitivity to light and sound, and often accompanied by nausea and vomiting.
"Woodley" Surname 12.1%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Woodley?
The short answer is that, if there is an association between surname and health, it's usually more about your ancestry than your name. Individuals with a given surname are no more genetically similar than the general population but often have similar ancestries. The populations of people associated with those shared ancestries often have sets of genetic variations, also known as alleles, in common. Some of those alleles are associated with a greater likelihood of developing certain diseases.
Disease variant frequency by ancestry
Disease allele frequencies in populations associated with the surname Woodley are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition