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Home › Baby Names Directory › Heywood

Heywood

♂ Boy

Pronounced HAY-wood /ˈheɪ.wʊd/Medium

Meaning: Heywood is an English place-and-surname name from Old English, combining 'hege' (hedge or enclosure) with 'wudu' (wood), so 'enclosed wood' or 'hedged wood'. Towns named Heywood exist in England, and the name became a surname before its occasional use as a first name.Low

In 30 seconds: Heywood is a boy's name from an English place meaning 'enclosed wood'. It appears in US records from 1912, peaking around 1925 (said HAY-wood).
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Origin LowEnglish
MeaningHeywood is an English place-and-surname name from Old English, combining 'hege' (hedge or enclosure) with 'wudu' (wood), so 'enclosed wood' or 'hedged wood'. Towns named Heywood exist in England, and the name became a surname before its occasional use as a first name.
U.S. rank (1963)#4294 ↘ Falling
1963 U.S. births5 boys (0.00% of U.S. boys)
Peak year1925
Total births (all-time)≈ 305

Popularity in the U.S. · SSA data

peak 192519121963

U.S. births per year (Social Security Administration, 1880–present). Pink marker = peak year.

SSA data updated May 2026. How we source & verify this data.

History & Origin

Heywood comes from an Old English place-name meaning 'enclosed wood', from 'hege' and 'wudu'. Long a surname, it appears in American records as a heritage first name with a calm, wooded feel.

It was never common as a given name, given to only about fifteen boys a year at its 1925 peak, and it faded from records by the early 1960s. A boy named Heywood then would be a great-grandfather now, and the name stays a rare surname-name.

Did you know? Heywood is close kin to Haywood and Atwood among the -wood names, all English landscape surnames that made their way to boys as given names.
Overall data confidence 38%
References - Heywood — English surname/place, Old English hege + wudu ('enclosed wood'); rare US boy usage

Variations

HaywoodHeywardHayward

Nicknames

HeyWoody

Famous Bearers

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If you like Heywood…

Haywood— the closely related spelling
Atwood— a like English -wood surname name
Ellwood— a same-style -wood boy's name
Sherwood— a comparable -wood heritage name

Explore names like Heywood

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Frequently Asked

What does the name Heywood mean?

It is from an English place-name and surname, from Old English 'hege' (enclosure) and 'wudu' (wood), so 'enclosed wood'.

How do you pronounce Heywood?

It is said HAY-wood /ˈheɪ.wʊd/ - two syllables.

Is Heywood a boy or girl name?

Heywood is used as a boy's name.

How popular is Heywood?

It was always rare in the United States, given to only about fifteen boys a year even at its peak in the mid-nineteen-twenties.

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