2000
#12,583
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,258
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.84
Rare Last name
Dewolf
A surname referring to a person who acted like or had the characteristics of a wolf.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,357 Americans carry the last name Dewolf. That puts it at #14,034 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.69 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 145,420 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Dewolf 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.
Bearers in the US
2.4K
1 in 145,420
Census rank
#14,034
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,055 bearers of the surname Dewolf in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.69 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14034th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Dewolf, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (3.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Dewolf
Among Census respondents with the surname Dewolf, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (3.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Dewolf 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 Dewolf surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.3% · 1,877
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 73
- Two or more races3.2% · 65
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 15
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 13
- Black or African American0.6% · 12
Timeline
Historical Census data for Dewolf
Dewolf 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
#13,867
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,179
-79 bearers (-3.5%)
Per 100,000 0.74
Rank movement Down 1,284 places
2020
#14,034
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,055
-124 bearers (-5.7%)
Per 100,000 0.69
Rank movement Down 167 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,583 | 2,258 | 0.84 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,867 | 2,179 | 0.74 | -79 bearers (-3.5%) | Down 1,284 places |
| 2020 | #14,034 | 2,055 | 0.69 | -124 bearers (-5.7%) | Down 167 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 Dewolf 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 | #13,867 | #14,034 | -1.2% |
| Count | 2,179 | 2,055 | -5.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.74 | 0.69 | -7.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Dewolf bearers went from 2,179 to 2,055 (-5.7% change). The surname moved down 167 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,867 to #14,034.
FAQ
Dewolf surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Dewolf?
Name Census estimates that about 2,357 living Americans carry the surname Dewolf. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 145,420 residents.
How common is Dewolf?
Dewolf ranks #14,034 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.69 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,055 people with the surname Dewolf. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,357), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.69 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.69 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Dewolf.
Has Dewolf become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Dewolf went from 2,179 recorded bearers to 2,055. That is a decrease of 124 (-5.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #13,867 to #14,034.
What does the Census say about the background of Dewolf?
Among Census respondents with the surname Dewolf, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (3.2%). 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 Dewolf in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.3% (1,877 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Dewolf appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.3%), Hispanic (3.6%), Two or More Races (3.2%). 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 Dewolf (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 Dewolf mean?
A surname referring to a person who acted like or had the characteristics of a wolf. 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 Dewolf (0.69 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 have the last name Dewolf?
See how many people are called Dewolf on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.