Upward

Recorded as Upward and probably Upwood, this is an English surname. It is locational from some place called Upward, of which we cannot find any trace assuming that it once existed, or the more logical Upwood of which there ar at least four examples in the counties of Derbyshire, Berkshire, Dorset and Huntingdon. In this context "up" means higher, and therefore in theory although evidently not in practice, for each place named with an Up there should be an adjoining place called Lower or Down. As it happens the only one we can find is Downwood and that is in Herefordshire! Upward and Upwood probably have the same or very similar meanings of the High wood or enclosure, and being locational do originate from such a place, although which one is pure guess work, as it may well be that the name originates from a now "lost" medieval village. What we can say is that the surname is quite rare, but examples of recordings are to be found in for instance Wiltshire with that of Henry Upward and his wife Charlotte, at Stourton church on December 23rd 1790, whilst far away in the city of London Edward Upward married Elizabeth Wilkinson on January 11th 1681 at St James church, Dukes Place, Westminster, and Ann Upwood who married Edward Nuseman (Newman?) at St Mary, The Virgin, Aldermanry, city of London, on July 21st 1702.