Meaning and background
The story behind Woodford
Woodford has a place-name history: English locations of that spelling and similar forms combine woodland with a ford, a shallow river crossing. It became a surname before later appearing as a given or pet name. Different Woodford places exist, so a matching name does not prove an ancestor came from one particular village. In everyday use it sounds more formal than Wood, with two clear elements but without a securely identifiable individual family origin.
- Origin
- English habitational surname associated with places named Woodford, typically from “wood” and “ford”, a river crossing. Source
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About Woodford
Recorded as a dog’s name
Woodford appears in 8 dog licence records in the 2022 New York City dataset.
How to read this count
These records cover New York City and may count the same dog in more than one licence period. They are not a national popularity ranking.
Pronunciation and rhythm
/wʊdfɚd/
US English sound sequence, converted from the CMU dictionary. Stress marks are shown separately.
Stress on the first syllable in the recorded US readings.
View dictionary notation
/wʊdfɚd/ · primary stress on syllable 1W UH1 D F ER0 D
These are US dictionary readings. Personal, regional and other language pronunciations may differ.
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Sources and research notes (2)
- New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene NYC Dog Licensing Dataset — all seven available extract years, retrieved 24 October 2026 — Recorded name spellings in NYC licence-period rows, extract years 2016–2018, 2022–2024 and 2026. Evidence selects one stated year per name. Annual snapshots overlap; never sum them as unique dogs. No national popularity, etymology or owner naming-intent claim.
- Carnegie Mellon University / CMU Sphinx maintainers CMU US English Pronouncing Dictionary — US English dictionary readings; not owner-specific or exhaustive multilingual pronunciation
References support the individual facts shown. A source link does not mean the entire profile has been verified.