Fun Facts About the Name Woodruff
- 147 babies named Woodruff: U.S. records list 147 babies given the name Woodruff from 1880 through 2025.
What Does the Name Woodruff Mean?
Woodruff is an English surname, and as a given name it is a transferred use of that surname. It comes from the Middle English plant name woderove, from Old English wudurofe, the word for the sweet-smelling plant now usually called sweet woodruff (Galium odoratum). The first element is Old English wudu, meaning 'wood.' The second element is uncertain; proposed connections include an Old English word for 'rough' and a root meaning 'to pluck' or 'break,' but no derivation is settled. As a surname, Woodruff was most likely topographic, for someone who lived where the plant grew, or occupational, for someone who gathered or sold it.
Woodruff Name History & Origins
The surname Woodruff comes from the Middle English plant name woderove, itself from Old English wudurofe. Medieval English surnames often came from plants, animals, and landscape features, and Woodruff belongs to that group. It likely began as a topographic name for a person who lived near a patch of the plant, or as a metonymic occupational name for someone who gathered or sold woodruff. Medieval spellings found in England include Woderove and Woderof. The surname was carried to North America by English emigrants. A prominent bearer of the surname was Wilford Woodruff (1807 - 1898), an early leader and fourth president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, but that prominence belongs to the surname rather than to Woodruff as a first name.
As a given name, Woodruff is a transferred surname. English speakers have long used family surnames as first names, and Woodruff follows that pattern rather than developing from an older personal name. It remains rare as a first name, and where it is used it usually honors a family connection to the surname. The plant name sweet woodruff is still used for Galium odoratum, a low woodland plant with fragrant leaves, which keeps the original sense of the name visible in modern English.
How Popular is the Name Woodruff?
Woodruff has historically been an exceptionally rare given name in the United States, remaining well outside the national mainstream. It saw its highest recorded annual births in 1917. Its best rank was #1,812 in 1917.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1959 | #3,613 | 7 | 0.0003% |
| 1956 | #4,449 | 5 | 0.0002% |
| 1953 | #4,334 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1947 | #3,728 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1944 | #3,902 | 5 | 0.0004% |
| 1943 | #3,226 | 7 | 0.0005% |
| 1938 | #3,172 | 7 | 0.0006% |
| 1935 | #3,635 | 6 | 0.0006% |
| 1929 | #4,533 | 5 | 0.0005% |
| 1926 | #4,827 | 5 | 0.0005% |
| 1925 | #4,191 | 6 | 0.0005% |
| 1924 | #4,959 | 5 | 0.0004% |
| 1923 | #4,888 | 5 | 0.0005% |
| 1922 | #2,482 | 13 | 0.0012% |
| 1921 | #4,316 | 6 | 0.0005% |
| 1920 | #2,601 | 12 | 0.0011% |
| 1917 | #1,812 | 18 | 0.0019% |
| 1914 | #2,453 | 9 | 0.0014% |
| 1913 | #2,494 | 7 | 0.0014% |
| 1912 | #2,042 | 8 | 0.0019% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
Most Popular Boy Names That Start with W
How the Name Woodruff Shapes Your Personality and Life?
To express itself, you must follow the divine law of love. You have great persistence and hate to give up. You are a good mixer, charming, magnetic and intuitive. The spirituality is the key to success. You are frank, methodical and believe in law, system and order.
You desire to inspire and lead, to control other's affairs. You are giving, courageous and bold, action oriented,energetic and strong willed. You want to make a difference in the world, and this attitude often attracts you to cultural interests, politics, social issues, and the cultivation of your creative talents.
✦ Woodruff's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Woodruff's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.