Woodrow is an

English given name English names are names used in, or originating in, England. In England as elsewhere in the English-speaking world, a complete name usually consists of a given name, commonly referred to as a first name, and a (most commonly patrilineal) family ...

which was originally an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

surname which may originally derive from a

toponym Toponymy, toponymics, or toponomastics is the study of '' toponyms'' (proper names of places, also known as place names and geographic names), including their origins, meanings, usage and types. Toponym is the general term for a proper name of ...

meaning "row of houses by a wood" in

Old English Old English (, ), or Anglo-Saxon, is the earliest recorded form of the English language, spoken in England and southern and eastern Scotland in the early Middle Ages. It was brought to Great Britain by Anglo-Saxon settlement of Britain, Anglo ...

. Other sources suggest the name directly derives from ''woodroe'' ("the border

hedge A hedge or hedgerow is a line of closely spaced shrubs and sometimes trees, planted and trained to form a barrier or to mark the boundary of an area, such as between neighbouring properties. Hedges that are used to separate a road from adjoin ...

"), an appellation for a border guard. Other sources suggest that the name is a variant of wood+reeve, a local official, thus a forest keeper or guardian. The name was made popular, in part, by US president

Woodrow Wilson Thomas Woodrow Wilson (December 28, 1856February 3, 1924) was an American politician and academic who served as the 28th president of the United States from 1913 to 1921. A member of the Democratic Party, Wilson served as the president of ...

, whose mother's

maiden name When a person (traditionally the wife in many cultures) assumes the family name of their spouse, in some countries that name replaces the person's previous surname, which in the case of the wife is called the maiden name ("birth name" is also used ...

was Woodrow. The pet form of Woodrow is Woody.

People with the name Woodrow

Given name

People with the given name Woodrow include: * Woodrow A. Abbott (1919–1994), United States Air Force officer who served as director of intelligence, J-2, and inspector general of the U.S. Readiness Command, which was then headquartered at MacDill Air Force Base *

Woodrow Adams Woodrow Wilson Adams (April 9, 1917 – August 9, 1988) was an American Delta blues guitarist and harmonica player. He made a late entry into the recording industry, producing three singles. His most accomplished song was "How Long", which off ...

(1917–1988), American Delta blues guitarist and harmonica player *

Woodrow Borah Woodrow Wilson Borah (23 December 1912 in Utica, Mississippi – 10 December 1999 in Berkeley, California) was a U.S. historian of colonial Mexico, whose research contributions on demography, economics, and social structure made him a major Lati ...

(1912–1999), U.S. historian of colonial Mexico, whose research contributions on demography, economics, and social structure made him a major Latin Americanist *

Woodrow Chambliss Woodrow Lewis Chambliss (October 14, 1914 in Bowie, Texas – January 8, 1981 in Ojai, California) was an American character actor who appeared in both feature films and television. He is probably best known for his appearances as several chara ...

(1914–1981), American character actor who appeared in both feature films and television * Woodrow Hamilton (born 1992), American football defensive tackle for the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Ole Miss * Woodrow W. Jones (1914–2002), United States Representative from North Carolina and a United States District Judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of North Carolina * Woodrow Lawrence, swimmer at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta for his country of birth Dominica. Woody finished 60th out of 63 competitors in 50 meter freestyle, with a time of 27.88 seconds *

Woodrow Lloyd Woodrow Stanley Lloyd (July 16, 1913 – April 7, 1972) was a Canadian politician and educator. Born in Saskatchewan in 1913, he became a teacher in the early 1930s. He worked as a teacher and school principal until 1944 and was involved with ...

(1913–1972), Canadian politician and educator *

Woodrow Wilson Mann Woodrow Wilson Mann (November 13, 1916 – August 6, 2002) was an American politician who was the mayor of the capital city of Little Rock, Arkansas, from 1956 to 1957. Biography A Little Rock native, Mann attended the University of Illinois and ...

(1916–2002), American politician who was the mayor of the capital city of Little Rock, Arkansas, from 1956 to 1957 * Woodrow M. Melvin (1912–1994), American politician in the state of Florida. *

Woodrow Phoenix Woodrow Phoenix is a British comics artist, writer, editorial illustrator, graphic designer, font designer and author of children's books. Phoenix is best known for ''Rumble Strip'', published in 2008, a non-fiction look at the difficult social ...

, British comics artist, writer, editorial illustrator, graphic designer, font designer and author of children's books * Woodrow Bradley Seals (1917–1990), United States District Judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas *

Woodrow Stanley Woodrow Stanley (June 12, 1950 – February 15, 2022) was an American Democratic Party politician. He was mayor of Flint, Michigan from 1991 until his recall in 2002, and was a member of the Michigan House of Representatives from District 34 ...

(1950–2022), American politician, Democratic Party politician, is a former member of the Michigan House of Representatives from the 34th District. He was a former mayor of Flint, until he was recalled from office in 2002 *

Woodrow Swancutt Woodrow Paul Swancutt (July 4, 1915 – March 21, 1993) was a Major general (United States), major general in the United States Air Force. Biography Swancutt was born on July 4, 1915, in Edgar, Wisconsin. He graduated from La Crosse Central Hig ...

(1915–1993), major general in the United States Air Force *

Woodrow West Woodrow Wilson West (born 19 September 1985) is a Belizean professional footballer who currently plays as a goalkeeper for Verdes FC. Club career In February 2008, West was signed by Panamanian side Atlético Chiriquí. International career Br ...

(born 1985), Belizean professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Honduras Progreso * Woodrow Whitlow Jr., associate administrator for Mission Support at NASA. He was appointed to this position by NASA administrator Charles Bolden on February 3, 2010. Prior to this, he was director of the NASA Glenn Research Center in Cleveland Ohio *

(1856–1924), 28th president of the United States from 1913 to 1921 *

Woodrow Wilson (disambiguation) Woodrow Wilson (1856–1924) was the president of the United States from 1913 to 1921. Woodrow Wilson may also refer to: * Woodrow Wilson "Woody" Guthrie (1912–1967), American folk singer * Woodrow Wilson (1915–1999), 28th President of th ...

, various people

With nickname Woody

Woody Guthrie Woodrow Wilson Guthrie (; July 14, 1912 – October 3, 1967) was an American singer-songwriter, one of the most significant figures in American folk music. His work focused on themes of American socialism and anti-fascism. He has inspired ...

(Woodrow Wilson Guthrie, 1912–1967), US musician *

Woody Hayes Wayne Woodrow Hayes (February 14, 1913 – March 12, 1987) was an American football player and coach. He served as the head coach at Denison University (1946–1948), Miami University in Oxford, Ohio (1949–1950), and Ohio State University (1951 ...

(Wayne Woodrow Hayes, 1913–1987), US football coach

Surname

People with the surname Woodrow include: *

Alan Woodrow Alan Donald Woodrow (born 1952) is a Canadians, Canadian operatic tenor. Born in Toronto, Woodrow studied singing with George Lambert (baritone), George Lambert at the Royal Conservatory of Music (Toronto), Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto b ...

(born 1952), Canadian opera singer *

Allan Woodrow (disambiguation) Allan Woodrow may refer to: * Allan Lee Woodrow (1886–1966), Canadian Senator * Allan Woodrow (author) (born 1964), American author of children's literature See also * Alan Woodrow Alan Donald Woodrow (born 1952) is a Canadian operatic te ...

, various people *

Bill Woodrow Bill Woodrow (born 1 November 1948) is a British sculptor. Early years and education Bill Woodrow was born on 1 November 1948 near Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire. He received his education at the Winchester College of Art (1967–1968), the Ce ...

(born 1948), British sculptor * Cauley Woodrow (born 1994), English professional footballer who plays as a forward for League One club Barnsley. He made his debut in the Football League for Southend United in September 2013 * George Marshall Woodrow (1846–1911), British botanist * Herbert Woodrow (1883–1974), American psychologist. He served as president of the American Psychological Association in 1941 and was a faculty member at several universities. He was a first cousin of Woodrow Wilson * James Woodrow (disambiguation), multiple people * Joash Woodrow (1927–2006), reclusive English artist * John Woodrow (1919–1988), British Army officer * Julian Woodrow (born 1996), American singer and songwriter. He is half of the duo "Take 2" (formerly known as "Blackberry Jam"), along with his brother Adrian Chirtea * Keith Woodrow (1927–1997), Scottish native who rose from being a former constable in Argyllshire in 1954 to Senior Superintendent of the colonial Royal Hong Kong Police Force at the time of his retirement in 1975 * Luke Woodrow (1921–2000), Roman Catholic priest, realtor and politician in Newfoundland. He represented Bay of Islands in the Newfoundland House of Assembly from 1975 to 1985 * Mark Woodrow (born 1980), English rugby union player-coach for Dings Crusaders currently playing in the English National League 3 South West * Ralph Woodrow, Evangelical Christian minister, speaker, and author * Steven Woodrow, American politician

Fictional characters

Fictional characters named Woodrow include: *

Woody Boyd Woodrow Tiberius Boyd is a character on the American television show ''Cheers'', portrayed by Woody Harrelson. Woody came to Cheers at the beginning of the fourth season of ''Cheers'' in 1985 in the episode "Birth, Death, Love and Rice". Woody ...

(Woodrow Huckleberry Tiberius Boyd), character on ''Cheers'', played by Woody Harrelson *Captain Woodrow F. Call, Texas Rangers. Main character in Larry McMurtry's

Lonesome Dove ''Lonesome Dove'' is a 1985 Western novel by American writer Larry McMurtry. It is the first published book of the ''Lonesome Dove'' series, but the third installment in the series chronologically. The story revolves around the relationships b ...

, played by Tommy Lee Jones in the TV miniseries. * Woodrow, a Simon Kidgits character developed by Simon Brand Ventures * Woodrow Wilson Smith (Lazarus Long) "

Time Enough for Love ''Time Enough for Love'' is a science fiction novel by American writer Robert A. Heinlein, first published in 1973. The work was nominated for the Nebula Award for Best Novel in 1973 and both the Hugo and Locus Awards in 1974. Plot The book cov ...

" by

Robert A Heinlein Robert Anson Heinlein (; July 7, 1907 – May 8, 1988) was an American science fiction author, aeronautical engineer, and naval officer. Sometimes called the "dean of science fiction writers", he was among the first to emphasize scientific accu ...

. {{DEFAULTSORT:Woodrow English given names Masculine given names English-language surnames English masculine given names English toponymic surnames