2000
#1,543
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 21,321
First available Census row
Per 100,000 7.90
Uncommon Last name
Wolff
A surname of German origin meaning "wolf," likely referring to a person with wolf-like characteristics or a wolf hunter.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 24,314 Americans carry the last name Wolff. That puts it at #1,652 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 7.09 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 14,097 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Wolff 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 Wolff with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
24K
1 in 14,097
Census rank
#1,652
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
7.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
21K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 21,203 bearers of the surname Wolff in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 7.09 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1652nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Wolff, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.9%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Wolff
The surname Wolff originates from Germany, where it was derived from the Old German word "wolf", meaning the wild animal. It emerged as a surname during the late medieval period, around the 13th or 14th century.
Wolff was a common surname in various regions of Germany, particularly in northern and central areas. It is believed to have been originally an occupational name or a nickname referring to someone with wolf-like characteristics or behavior. In some cases, it may have also been given to someone who lived near a place associated with wolves.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Wolff can be found in the Bavarian town of Landshut, where a certain Hainricus Wolph was mentioned in a document dated 1285. Another early record comes from the city of Regensburg, where a man named Chunradus Wolff was documented in 1315.
During the 14th and 15th centuries, the surname appeared in various historical records and documents across Germany. For example, a certain Heinrich Wolff was mentioned in the records of the city of Nuremberg in 1363. In the city of Cologne, a man named Johan Wolff was recorded in 1447.
Some notable individuals with the surname Wolff throughout history include:
1. Christian Wolff (1679-1754), a German philosopher and mathematician who made significant contributions to the fields of metaphysics and epistemology.
2. Kaspar Friedrich Wolff (1733-1794), a German anatomist and physiologist who is considered a pioneer in the study of embryology.
3. Wilhelm Wolff (1809-1864), a German composer and conductor who composed several operas and other works.
4. Albert Wolff (1835-1891), a French journalist and writer who was a prominent figure in Parisian literary circles during the 19th century.
5. Max Wolff (1856-1924), a German painter and etcher who was known for his landscape and architectural works.
The surname Wolff also had variations in spelling and regional variations, such as Wolfe, Wolf, and Wulff, among others. Additionally, some place names in Germany, such as Wolfenbüttel and Wolfsburg, may have been derived from or influenced by the surname Wolff.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Wolff
Among Census respondents with the surname Wolff, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.9%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Wolff 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 Wolff surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.0% · 19,292
- Hispanic or Latino3.9% · 817
- Two or more races3.0% · 638
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 195
- Black or African American0.8% · 172
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 89
Timeline
Historical Census data for Wolff
Wolff 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
#1,650
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 21,815
+494 bearers (+2.3%)
Per 100,000 7.40
Rank movement Down 107 places
2020
#1,652
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 21,203
-612 bearers (-2.8%)
Per 100,000 7.09
Rank movement Down 2 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,543 | 21,321 | 7.90 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,650 | 21,815 | 7.40 | +494 bearers (+2.3%) | Down 107 places |
| 2020 | #1,652 | 21,203 | 7.09 | -612 bearers (-2.8%) | Down 2 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 Wolff 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 | #1,650 | #1,652 | -0.1% |
| Count | 21,815 | 21,203 | -2.8% |
| Per 100K | 7.40 | 7.09 | -4.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Wolff bearers went from 21,815 to 21,203 (-2.8% change). The surname moved down 2 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,650 to #1,652.
FAQ
Wolff surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Wolff?
Name Census estimates that about 24,314 living Americans carry the surname Wolff. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 14,097 residents.
How common is Wolff?
Wolff ranks #1,652 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 7.09 per 100,000 residents, which is about 7 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 21,203 people with the surname Wolff. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (24,314), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 7.09 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 7.09 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 7 of them to have the surname Wolff.
Has Wolff become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Wolff went from 21,815 recorded bearers to 21,203. That is a decrease of 612 (-2.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,650 to #1,652.
What does the Census say about the background of Wolff?
Among Census respondents with the surname Wolff, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.9%) and Two or More Races (3.0%). 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 Wolff in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.0% (19,292 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Wolff appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.0%), Hispanic (3.9%), Two or More Races (3.0%). 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 Wolff (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 Wolff mean?
A surname of German origin meaning "wolf," likely referring to a person with wolf-like characteristics or a wolf hunter. 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 Wolff (7.09 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 Wolff?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.