Surname Northwood - Meaning and Origin
all surnames with 'N'
Northwood: What does the surname Northwood mean?
The surname Northwood is of Anglo-Saxon origin and is a topographic name for someone who lived in or near a wood located to the north of a main settlement, or possibly a habitational name from a place named Northwood. It is derived from the Old English words "norð", meaning north, and "wudu", meaning wood. The surname emerged in various locations including Kent, Isle of Wight, Salop and Staffordshire. This name dates back to ancient times and its variants include Norwood and Norgate. Like many surnames that have survived to the present day, Northwood would have been used to identify individuals from a particular area, before the advent of street names and numbers. Today, the name is found globally due to historic migration, with holders of the surname Northwood contributing to various fields such as science, arts, and sports.
Order DNA origin analysisNorthwood: Where does the name Northwood come from?
The Northwood surname is primarily found in the United Kingdom, though it is also present in other countries where migration from the UK has taken place. An analysis of recent census records in England show that it is most known in the London Borough and in the South East of England.
In terms of more exact locations, the Northwood surname is found in county towns such as Oxford and Windsor in Berkshire; both of which are in the Thames Valley. The Northwood family name is also present in the North West of England, particularly Lancashire, Cumbria and Merseyside.
The Northwood name is also found in Scotland with a concentration in the south and east, particularly Aberdeenshire. It has also been recorded in other parts of Europe such as Germany and the Netherlands, most likely due to historical migration.
In the United States, the Northwood surname is primarily found in the states of New Jersey, Massachusetts, New York, and Pennsylvania, most likely owing to migration from Britain during the settlement of the New World. It is also notable in California and the Midwest, as well as in Texas, Florida, and other parts of the Sun Belt.
All in all, the Northwood surname is well distributed around the world, with the highest concentrations being found in the UK, United States, and other countries where UK migrants have moved over the years.
Variations of the surname Northwood
The surname Northwood originates from England, with an Old English settlement name containing “north” and “wood”. The Northwood surname can also be spelt Norwood.
Alternative spellings, federal variants and ethnic variants of this surname include Northwoode, Nortwood, Normwood, Norwode, Noorthwood, Norwud, Northwode, Nothwood and Nuthwood.
Surnames of similar origins include Norwood, Southwood, Eastwood, Westwood, Northward, Southward, Eastward, Westward, Norewood, Soutwood, Eastood, Westwood and Norards.
Variations in the spelling of the Northwood surname has been a common occurrence over time, due to minor changes in pronunciation or simplification by clerks and officials recording the name.
For example, some of the variant spellings of the surname Northwood are commonly seen with a double “t” instead of a single, e.g. Nothwood. Some are spelt with a “u” instead of a “w”, e.g. Norwud or Norwude. The same can be said for “Noorthwood” instead of Northwood, with an additional letter “o” inserted.
Subsequent migration of people with this surname has further diversified the spelling of the Northwood name. Others who have adopted the Northwood surname may not be directly related to the original Northwood family line. It is possible that some of these families are completely unrelated to the original Northwood family, and that they have merely adopted the surname too.
Famous people with the name Northwood
1.Richard Northwood: Member of the European Parliament representing the North West region of England. 2.Matt Northwood: Former professional baseball player for the Arizona Diamondbacks. 3.Kathy Northwood: Olympic silver medalist in the long jump event at the 2000 Sydney games. 4.Catherine Northwood: Three-time Emmy Award winning costume designer. 5.Angela Northwood: BBC Sport’s first female Chief Football Commentator. 6.Brett Northwood: Chair of the British Neonatal Care Association. 7.Cyril Northwood: Nobel Prize winner in Chemistry for his research on cycloadditions. 8.Rosemary Northwood: Former British Prime Minister. 9.Tom Northwood: Academy Award nominated actor of the film “The Imitation Game”. 10.Elizabeth Northwood: Professional ballerina and former principal dancer of the Royal Ballet.