2000
#427
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 68,905
First available Census row
Per 100,000 25.54
Uncommon Last name
Wolf
A surname derived from the animal, often used to denote a fierce or cunning person.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 80,176 Americans carry the last name Wolf. That puts it at #467 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 23.39 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 4,275 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Wolf surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Wolf with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
80K
1 in 4,275
Census rank
#467
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
23.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
70K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 69,917 bearers of the surname Wolf in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 23.39 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 467th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Wolf, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (3.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Wolf
The surname Wolf is of German origin and has its roots in the Old German word "wolf" which means "wolf" in English. It likely originated as a nickname for someone with wolf-like qualities or characteristics, such as strength, ferocity, or a keen sense of hunting. The name can be traced back to the early Middle Ages in Germany.
The Wolf surname is found in various records and manuscripts throughout German history. One of the earliest known references is in the Codex Traditionum Corbeiensium, a medieval cartulary from the Corvey Abbey in modern-day North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, dating back to the 9th century. The name is also present in the Chronica Regia Coloniensis, a medieval chronicle from the city of Cologne, from the 12th century.
The earliest recorded individual with the Wolf surname is thought to be Gottfried Wolf, a German monk and chronicler who lived in the late 12th and early 13th centuries. He is known for his work, the Chronica Monasterii Husburgensis, a chronicle of the Huyseburg Abbey in Saxony-Anhalt.
Another notable figure with the Wolf surname is Christian Wolf, a German philosopher and mathematician who lived from 1679 to 1754. He made significant contributions to the field of mathematics and is considered a pioneer in the development of calculus.
In the literary world, one of the most famous individuals with the Wolf surname is Thomas Wolf, a German writer and playwright who lived from 1888 to 1963. His most renowned work is the novel "Der Untertan" (The Patrioteer), a satirical critique of German society.
The Wolf surname has also been associated with various place names throughout Germany. For example, the town of Wolfenbüttel in Lower Saxony is believed to have derived its name from the Old German word "Wulferesbuttle," meaning "the dwelling of the Wolves."
Other notable individuals with the Wolf surname include Hugo Wolf, an Austrian composer who lived from 1860 to 1903, and Friedrich Wolf, a German writer and communist who lived from 1888 to 1953.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Wolf
Among Census respondents with the surname Wolf, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (3.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Wolf bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Wolf surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.2% · 63,054
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 2,482
- Two or more races3.1% · 2,174
- Black or African American1.2% · 843
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.1% · 757
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 607
Timeline
Historical Census data for Wolf
Wolf appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#474
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 70,031
+1,126 bearers (+1.6%)
Per 100,000 23.74
Rank movement Down 47 places
2020
#467
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 69,917
-114 bearers (-0.2%)
Per 100,000 23.39
Rank movement Up 7 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #427 | 68,905 | 25.54 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #474 | 70,031 | 23.74 | +1,126 bearers (+1.6%) | Down 47 places |
| 2020 | #467 | 69,917 | 23.39 | -114 bearers (-0.2%) | Up 7 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Wolf surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #474 | #467 | 1.5% |
| Count | 70,031 | 69,917 | -0.2% |
| Per 100K | 23.74 | 23.39 | -1.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Wolf bearers went from 70,031 to 69,917 (-0.2% change). The surname moved up 7 positions in the national ranking, going from #474 to #467.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Wolf
FAQ
Wolf surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Wolf?
Name Census estimates that about 80,176 living Americans carry the surname Wolf. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 4,275 residents.
How common is Wolf?
Wolf ranks #467 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 23.39 per 100,000 residents, which is about 23 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 69,917 people with the surname Wolf. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (80,176), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 23.39 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 23.39 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 23 of them to have the surname Wolf.
Has Wolf become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Wolf went from 70,031 recorded bearers to 69,917. That is a decrease of 114 (-0.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #474 to #467.
What does the Census say about the background of Wolf?
Among Census respondents with the surname Wolf, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (3.1%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Wolf in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.2% (63,054 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Wolf appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.2%), Hispanic (3.5%), Two or More Races (3.1%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Wolf (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Wolf mean?
A surname derived from the animal, often used to denote a fierce or cunning person. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Wolf (23.39 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people share the surname Wolf?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.