Recorded 1913–1960 Boys' name Peak 1917 205 births

Woodward — boys' name

205 babies named Woodward in U.S. Social Security records since 1913, with the highest year being 1917. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.

1910s561920s661930s161940s311950s311960s5
1920s
Peak decade

32% of everyone ever named Woodward was born in this single decade.

1917
Single peak year

14 babies were named Woodward in 1917 — its busiest year on record.

What the Data Says About Woodward

The Social Security Administration has registered 205 babies named Woodward between 1913 and 1960, spanning 48 consecutive years of U.S. birth records. As a boy's name, Woodward currently falls outside the top 1,000 boys' names for 1960. The name reached its historical peak in 1917, when 14 babies received it in a single year.

Decade-level aggregation shows that Woodward performed strongest in the 1920s, accumulating 66 births during that ten-year window. Across the 6 decades of recorded activity, Woodward shows a clear decline from its mid-century high.

No etymological entry is currently available for Woodward in our reference dataset. These figures derive from SSA's annual national and state-level name files, which include any name appearing at least five times in a given year or state-year; names below that threshold are suppressed for privacy and therefore excluded from the totals shown here. The 205 total represents a lower bound — actual usage may be higher in years or states where the count fell below the disclosure floor. This page is provided for informational and research purposes only and does not constitute personal, legal, or naming advice.

Woodward at a glance

Last recorded 1960

Total births

205

Since 1913

48 years of records

Peak year

1917

14 births that year

Strongest decade: 1920s

Current rank

Unranked

Outside the modern top-1,000

As of 1960

Active since

1913

Recorded for 48 years

Last year on file: 1960

Woodward popularity over time

Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1960–1913

Last recorded 1960
Peak year (1917)
14
Annual births at peak — across 48 years of records
46810121416 19601950194319301925192119171913 6

Woodward by decade

Total births in each ten-year window — peak vs trough at a glance

Peak: 1920s
Peak decade
1920s
66 births that decade — 32% of Woodward's all-time total
1910s561920s661930s161940s311950s311960s5

Frequently Asked Questions

How popular is the name Woodward?
205 babies have been named Woodward since 1913. It was last recorded in 1960. The peak year was 1917 with 14 births.
When was Woodward most popular?
Woodward was most popular in the 1920s decade with 66 total births. The single peak year was 1917.
How long has the name Woodward been used?
Woodward has been recorded in Social Security data since 1913, spanning 48 years of data through 1960.
What names are similar to Woodward?
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Woodrow, Woody, Woodie, Woodson, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.

Data Sources

Data as of 2024. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).

Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications — National Data, 1913–1960 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames). National-level data includes all names with 5 or more occurrences in a given year.

State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names — State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip). Includes all names with 5 or more occurrences per state per year; rarer names are excluded for privacy.