| HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF THE HOOD FAMILY (Compiled by National Research Organization - 527 Ninth St.., N.W. Wash., D.C.) Origin: The distinguished name of Hood is derived from the Saxon word "Houdt" meaning "the wood". The Hood surname was spelled differently in various countries. In Old Norse (Icelandic) it was Ude; in France it was Udo and Ude; by the Danish people it was Hude; by the Dutch people it was Ouda and in England the Name was Hud, Hod, Odo, Hode, and various other forms. Prior to the time of Robin Hood, who died about the year 1200, the name of "Hood" was in its original form as "ODO". It has been advised that the word "Odo" meant "Head" in some obsolete language such as, perhaps, the ancient Greek & Anglo-Saxon. It is supposed that all Hood families, whether of English, Scottish or Irish extraction are descended from "Odo" (1035-1097) one of the half brothers of William the Conqueror and that Odo was a Roman Catholic Bishop of Bayeaux and also Duke of Kent, blessed with a family, which scattered to his various estates in different parts of England,as time went on. It seemed that moral standards in the time of Odo were not very high and that he made no effort to uphold them. He was a man of considerable shrewdness , ability and quick action, at one time serving as a co-regent of England. Odo was killed near Jerusalem in a Crusade battle in 1097. In several records it has been stated that "Robin Hood" also known as the Duke of Lancaster and Robert Locksley, at different times in his life, was one of the great grandsons of Odo. Robin Hood was a resident of County Lancaster in Northwestern England, where his residence and grave have been on public exhibition ever since his death, which occured about the year 1200, closing an eventful life of struggle against special privilege as partially described by Sir Walter Scott in "Ivanhoe". We find the name of Hud mentioned numerous times times in the "British Old Rolls and Records." i.e. Matilda Hud 1379; Johannes Hud 1379 and also John Hud, County Somersetshire. There is also a record of a John Hood, born about 1720 in County Down, Ireland. He was a Justice of the Peace, known as "Honest Jack Hood". |
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Hood Coat of Arms On May 6th, 2002 I received this Hood Coat of Arms graphic from George E. Hood From: "George Hood" <[email protected]> Subject: Hood Arms 1 from OofN (1) Date: Mon, 6 May 2002 17:36:04 -0400 Hi all, I hope you enjoy this!! Just got it from another Hood researcher. If anybody has a different one please share. This seems to be the one from the Hoods of Essex County England. Regards, George E. Hood, Sr. Vermont |
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| I also went to the internet and found a webpage with another Hood coat of Arms. You can find it at this address, Hood and Hoode - Coats of Arms There is another one at Coats of Arms 1.21.01 This one is nice Origin unknown |
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