Given name & surname
Haywood
“from the hedged forest”
Haywood is used as a given name and a surname. One English interpretation is “from the hedged forest.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
One English interpretation is “from the hedged forest.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is English.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1880. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Haywood through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 6,541
- 6,541 boys · 0 girls
- Most popular year
- 1919
- 137 babies
- 2025
- 12
- #6,944 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +14%
- Rising
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 12 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 6,944 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 13.6% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 137 in 1919. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 2,121 as a first name in 2020; 17,659 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Haywood’s family of names
Haywood has a related form in Haewode. Haywood has a related form in Haewood. Haywood has a related form in Haiwode.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 6
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Across languages 1
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Haywood
- Haywood HighsmithAmerican basketball player (born 1996)
- Haywood S. HansellAmerican U.S. Air Force major general (1903-1988)
- Haywood Yancey RiddleAmerican politician (1834-1879)
- Haywood NelsonAmerican actor (b. 1960)
- Haywood SullivanAmerican college football player, Major League Baseball player, Boston Red Sox general manager (1930–2003)
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Haywood, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Hurley
“a healthy woman” · “of the sea tide”
96% boys · 4% girls
Early
“daughter born prematurely” · “one who is punctual”
>99% boys
Wilton
“from the town on the river”
>99% boys
Irving
“a triend of the sea”
>99% boys
Orrin
“from the river”
>99% boys
Harwood
“from the hare's forest”
>99% boys
Hilton
“a wealthy woman” · “from the town on the hill”
85% boys · 15% girls
Frazier
“of the forest men”
>99% boys