An English surname, Woodard comes from the Old English terms ’wode’, ‘wudu’ and ‘weard’ which refers to a protector of the trees and animals in the forest. Variations in spelling for Woodard include Woodward, Woodyard, Wadard and Woodwards. In England the greatest concentration of Woodard families is along the southeast, mostly in the city of London, Essex, Suffolk, Norfolk, Kent and Middlesex. There are some also in Lancashire county to the north. In Scotland there are very few Woodard families. The main location for any Woodards is in Midlothian and Lanarkshire counties. Within the United States the Woodard surname covers the eastern half of the country. The higher percentage of Woodard families originated in New York, Illinois, North Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Georgia and California. Famous: Mike Woodard (professional baseball player), George Woodard (movie film actor), Alfre Woodard (theatre, film and television actress), Steve Woodard (professional baseball player), Milt Woodard (newspaper sport writer) and Lynette Woodard (first female member of the basketball Harlem Globetrotters and Olympic Games winner).