Find out how popular the last name DeWolf is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named DeWolf.

DeWolf, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the DeWolf surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of DeWolf in America

DeWolf is the 13867th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The DeWolf surname appeared 2,179 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname DeWolf.

We can also compare 2010 data for DeWolf to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name DeWolf

The surname DeWolf originates from the Netherlands and dates back to the 16th century. It is derived from the Dutch words "de" meaning "the" and "wolf" referring to the animal. The name likely originated as a descriptive nickname for someone who was perceived to have wolf-like characteristics or who lived near a place associated with wolves.

The earliest recorded instances of the DeWolf surname can be found in Dutch municipal records and parish registers from the late 1500s and early 1600s. Some of the earliest documented examples include Jan DeWolf (born c.1575 in Amsterdam) and Pieter DeWolf (born c.1590 in Rotterdam).

In the 17th century, the DeWolf name began to appear in various regions of the Netherlands, including Friesland, Gelderland, and Zeeland. It is possible that some individuals with this surname were among the early Dutch settlers who emigrated to the American colonies in the 17th and 18th centuries.

One notable individual with the DeWolf surname was Jan de Witt DeWolf (1744-1826), a Dutch merchant and one of the founders of the Dutch East India Company. Another prominent figure was Hendrik DeWolf (1778-1840), a wealthy American merchant and slave trader based in Bristol, Rhode Island.

Other notable individuals with the DeWolf surname include:

1. James DeWolf (1764-1837), an American slave trader and politician from Bristol, Rhode Island.
2. William DeWolf (1798-1879), an American merchant and financier from Bristol, Rhode Island.
3. John DeWolf (1809-1888), an American businessman and philanthropist from Bristol, Rhode Island.
4. Pieter DeWolf (1852-1928), a Dutch politician and lawyer who served as the Governor of Overijssel.
5. Christiaan DeWolf (1922-2010), a Dutch poet and writer known for his works exploring themes of existentialism and spirituality.

While the DeWolf surname is most commonly associated with the Netherlands and the United States, it has also been found in other countries, likely due to emigration and immigration patterns over the centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name DeWolf

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname DeWolf.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for DeWolf was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of DeWolf has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name DeWolf was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of DeWolf, please contact us.

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