Greenwood is an English topographic surname given to someone who lived in or near a lush forest, derived from Old English grene "green" and wudu "wood". The name thus describes a dweller by a green wood or forest. It can also function as a locative surname for various places named Greenwood, such as the village in Nova Scotia, which was named for its heavily forested site. Brimming with imagery of verdant woodlands, the nature-inspired surname appeared early in records; notable bearers span from medieval times to modern America, including fiction's Adam "Greenwood" Nickerson in *Hawkesbury* and many politicians and athletes. Variants include the less common single-word forms occasionally employed as given names. Greenwood thus occupies a niche in surnames toponymic tradition—rooting bearers unequivocally in an English countryside of wood and tree.