Given name & surname
Woodrow
“from the row of houses near the forest”
Woodrow is used as a given name and a surname. One English interpretation is “from the row of houses near the forest.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
One English interpretation is “from the row of houses near the forest.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is English.
How it developed
It entered given-name use through an existing surname.
The story
Its naming history includes the use of a family name as a given name.
Woodrow through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 39,246
- 39,107 boys · 139 girls
- Most popular year
- 1918
- 3,372 babies
- 2025
- 102
- #1,653 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +16%
- Rising
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 102 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 1,653 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 16.3% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 3,358 in 1918. In 2025, California had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (11). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 8,852 as a first name in 2020; 2,631 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.
Woodrow’s family of names
In English usage, Woodrow has a diminutive in Woody. Woodrow has a related form in Woodro. Woodrow has an affectionate form in Woody.
The ring: nicknames and forms.
Nicknames & forms 4
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
People named Woodrow
- Woody GuthrieAmerican singer-songwriter (1912–1967)
- Woody HermanAmerican jazz musician and bandleader (1913–1987)
- Woody SauldsberryAmerican basketball player (1934-2007)
- Woody JacksonAmerican composerborn 1970
- Woodrow WestBelizean football goalkeeper currently playing for the Belmopan Bandits FCborn 1985
- Woodrow ParfreyAmerican film and television actor (1922-1984)
- Woodrow WyattBritish politician (1918-1997)
- Wilson RawlsAmerican children's writer1913–1984
- Woodrow W. JonesAmerican politician (1914-2002)
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Woodrow, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Wiley
“of the willows” · “one who is crafty; from the meadow by the water”
88% boys · 12% girls
Oswald
“the power of God”
>99% boys
Booker
“one who binds books; a scribe”
>99% boys
Orrin
“from the river”
>99% boys
Buck
“resembling a male deer”
>99% boys
Crawford
“from the crow's ford”
94% boys · 6% girls
Warren
“from the fortress; from the enclosure” · “a gamekeeper”
99% boys · 1% girls
Irving
“a triend of the sea”
>99% boys