Woodcock (surname)

Last updated June 24, 2025

Woodcock is an English-language surname. It is derived from the bird of the same name (Middle English : wodecok; Old English : wuducocc). It may have been an occupational surname given to people who bought or sold woodcocks, or as a nickname for a person who was gullible like the bird, which was easy to catch. It may also be a variant of the toponymic surname Woodcott (from the Old English: wudu 'wood' + cot 'cottage', 'shelter'; referring to places such as Woodcote, Oxfordshire, England) created by confusion between the Middle English -cock and -cot.^[1]^[2] Notable people with the surname include:

Ashley Woodcock (born 1947), Australian cricketer
Bill Woodcock (born 1971), American computer scientist
Bruce Woodcock (boxer) (1921–1997), English boxer
Bruce Woodcock (computer games analyst) (born 1970), computer games analyst
Carla Woodcock (born 1998), English actress
Charles Woodcock (1850–1923), lover of King Karl of Württemberg
George Woodcock (1912–1995), Canadian writer and historian
George Woodcock (cricketer) (1894–1968), batsman
George Woodcock (trade unionist) (1904–1979), English trade unionist
Janet Woodcock (born 1948), American physician, acting Commissioner of the FDA
Jim Woodcock, British computer scientist
John A. Woodcock Jr. (born 1950), United States federal judge
John Woodcock (American football) (1954–1998), American football player
John Woodcock (cricket writer) (1926–2021), British cricket writer and journalist
John Woodcock (magistrate) (born 1967), Italian prosecutor
John Woodcock (martyr) (1603–1646), English Franciscan martyr
John Woodcock (politician) (born 1978), British politician, also known as Lord Walney
Jonathan Woodcock (born 1962), Royal Navy officer
Kim Joanne Woodcock Lukas (born 1977), British-Italian pop singer known as Kim Lukas
Leonard F. Woodcock (1911–2001), trade union leader, American diplomat
Leslie V. Woodcock (born 1945), chemistry professor at the University of Manchester
Luke Woodcock (born 1982), New Zealand cricketer
Peter Woodcock (1939–2010), Canadian serial killer, rapist, and necrophile
Richard Woodcock (born 1928), developed Woodcock–Johnson tests of cognitive abilities
Steven Woodcock (born 1964), British actor
Thomas Woodcock (officer of arms) (born 1951), British Officer of Arms
Thomas Woodcock (VC) (1888–1918), a British recipient of the Victoria Cross
Tommy Woodcock (1905–1985), Australian strapper of champion horse Phar Lap
Tony Woodcock (footballer) (born 1955), English (soccer) football player
Tony Woodcock (rugby player) (born 1981), New Zealand rugby player
William John Woodcock (c. 1808–1868), Anglican priest in South Australia

References

↑ Hanks, Patrick; Lenarčič, Simon; McClure, Peter, eds. (2022). "Woodcock" . Dictionary of American Family Names (2 ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/acref/9780190245115.001.0001/acref-9780190245115-e-81535. ISBN 978-0-19-518841-7.
↑ Parkin, Harry, ed. (2021). "Woodcock" . Concise Oxford Dictionary of Family Names in Britain. Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/acref/9780198868255.001.0001. ISBN 978-0-19-193987-7.

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[DAFN-1] Hanks, Patrick; Lenarčič, Simon; McClure, Peter, eds. (2022). "Woodcock" . Dictionary of American Family Names (2 ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/acref/9780190245115.001.0001/acref-9780190245115-e-81535. ISBN 978-0-19-518841-7.

[Parkin-2] Parkin, Harry, ed. (2021). "Woodcock" . Concise Oxford Dictionary of Family Names in Britain. Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/acref/9780198868255.001.0001. ISBN 978-0-19-193987-7.

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