Surname Woodnatt - Meaning and Origin
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Woodnatt: What does the surname Woodnatt mean?
The last name Woodnatt is of English origin and is a habitational surname derived from the Old English words 'wudu' and 'hnieđ'. The name essentially refers to a person who lived near a wood that had brambles or was overgrown with thorns.
The Old English word ‘wudu’ which means ‘wood’ has its origins in Proto-Indo-European and was used to describe a dense forest or woodland. The suffix ‘-natt’ means thicket or tangled brushwood and was derived from the Old English word ‘hnieđ’. Therefore, the name Woodnatt originated as a location name describing someone from a thicket of trees or thorns that were characteristic of hunting forests during medieval times.
Throughout the centuries, bearers of the name would have lived close to woodlands or thickets, and many early mentions of the name appear in documents referring to persons living in the woods. Today, the Woodnatt surname is commonly found in English-speaking countries such as the United Kingdom, United States, Canada and Australia.
Order DNA origin analysisWoodnatt: Where does the name Woodnatt come from?
The last name Woodnatt is believed to have originated in the British Isles, and most people today bearing the name likely trace their roots back to the United Kingdom. It is uncertain exactly when it was adopted as a surname, but English baptism records go back as far as 1550, and Woodnatt was used in North Yorkshire and Lancashire even then.
Today, the last name Woodnatt appears to still be most common in England, with the greatest number of current entries in the United Kingdom census records coming from North Yorkshire and Lancashire. The name can also be found across many other parts of the British Isles, including Scotland, Wales and Ireland.
In the United States, the Woodnatt surname is most commonly found in the states of Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Massachusetts. In fact, it is such a distinct surname that it is unlikely to have migrated to the US without movement of people.
Outside of the British Isles and the US, Woodnatt is not as commonly found. Many can be traced in historical records, including in France, Germany, and even Australia.
In any case, the surname Woodnatt today remains relatively rare, making it truly great to be part of such a small community of people that trace their roots back to the same origin.
Variations of the surname Woodnatt
The surname Woodnatt is an English and Welsh surname of topographic origin, derived from the Old English "wald (wood) and hneatte (a street, lane, pathway or an enclosure in a wood). Variants, spellings and surnames of the same origin include Woodnote, Woodnott, Woodnot, Woodknot, Woodnough, Woodnet, Woodnutt, Wodnett, Wootnott, Wootnot, Wodnut, and WDHnat.
Woodnatt is particularly common in the south of England. It is also found in Devon, Somerset and Gloucestershire counties. The surname is particularly common in Devon, with the highest concentration of families being found in the south of the county and around the city of Plymouth.
The earliest recorded use of the surname Woodnatt in England dated to 1406 when John Wodehnet was noted in the court rolls of the manor of Honingham, Norfolk. Other recorded spellings of the name in various counties include Wodhnet in Norfolk 1406; Woodnett in Huntingdonshire 1438; Woodnett in Norfolk 1488; Woodnote in Cornwall 1534; Woodnot in Derbyshire 1574; Wodnett in Buckinghamshire 1577; Wootnot in Huntingdonshire 1609; Wodnot in Gloucestershire 1610; and Woodnut in Oxfordshire 1650.
In addition to being a common surname in England, the surname Woodnatt is also found in some other parts of the British Isles. For example, it can be found in Scotland, where the spelling is given as Woudnaught. It can also be found in Northern Ireland and Canada where the spelling is given as Woodnaugh.
Today, variations of this surname can be found in many parts of the English-speaking world, including the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and Ireland.
Overall, the variants, spellings and surnames of the same origin for the surname Woodnatt are Woodnote, Woodnott, Woodnot, Woodknot, Woodnough, Woodnet, Woodnutt, Wodnett, Wootnott, Wootnot, Wodnut, and WDHnat.
Famous people with the name Woodnatt
- Emma Woodnatt: British Olympian diver
- Bob Woodnatt: American actor
- Alice Woodnatt: American Broadway singer
- Martin Woodnatt: British cricket player
- Annette Woodnatt: English stage actress
- Freddie Woodnatt: British politician
- Jean Woodnatt: Canadian author
- Hannah Woodnatt: Painter from the UK
- Amanda Woodnatt: British television presenter
- Mark Woodnatt: American blues singer