An English surname, Woodward comes from Old English terms, ‘wode’ and ‘ward’ which refers to the wood keeper or guardian. The spelling variations for Woodward include Woodyard, Wadard, Woodard and Woodwards. In England the Woodward families began in the Essex region. It spread to the city of London, into Kent and Middlesex counties. Those with the Woodward name also settled in Yorkshire, Lancashire, Durham and Warwickshire. In Scotland those with the Woodward surname mostly live in Lanarkshire, Fife, Angus and Aberdeenshire counties. Within the United States the Woodward families originated in Massachusetts, New York, Ohio, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Texas, California, Virginia, Maryland and New Jersey. Famous: Neil W. Woodward (astronaut), Thomas Jones Woodward (birth name of singer Tom Jones from Wales), Bob Woodward (journalist of The Washington Post who broke the story of Watergate), Chris Woodward (professional baseball player), Eric Woodward (Governor of New South Wales, Australia), George Radcliffe Woodward (music composer of England), Henry Woodward (Canadian who co-invented the incandescent lamp in 1876 and then sold the patent to Thomas Edison) and Tim Woodward (English actor).