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

Wild, 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 Wild surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Wild in America

Wild is the 4324th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Wild surname appeared 8,217 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 3 people would have the surname Wild.

We can also compare 2010 data for Wild 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 Wild

The surname Wild is of English origin, derived from the Old English word 'wilde' meaning 'untamed' or 'uncultivated'. It was initially used as a descriptive nickname for someone who lived in a remote or rural area, or for someone with a wild or unruly appearance or behavior.

The earliest recorded instances of the surname Wild can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it was listed as 'Wilde' in various counties across England. This suggests that the name was already in use by the late 11th century.

In the 13th century, the surname was recorded in various forms, including 'le Wild', 'atte Wilde', and 'Wylde'. These variations indicate that the name was often preceded by the prepositions 'le' (the) or 'atte' (at the), which were commonly used in medieval times to identify a person's place of origin or occupation.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Wild was John le Wild, who was mentioned in the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex in 1296. Another notable early bearer of the name was William atte Wilde, who was recorded in the Lay Subsidy Rolls of Somerset in 1327.

In the 16th century, the surname began to appear in its modern spelling of 'Wild'. One of the first recorded instances of this spelling was Robert Wild, who was born in England around 1530.

Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals with the surname Wild, including:

1. Jonathan Wild (1682-1725), an English criminal and thief-taker who became famous for his exploits in London's underworld.
2. Robert Wild (1609-1679), an English philosopher and mathematician who made significant contributions to the study of algebra.
3. Johann Rudolf Wild (1670-1712), a Swiss-born artist and engraver who worked in England and is known for his engravings of architectural subjects.
4. Albert Wild (1919-2000), a British actor and playwright who appeared in numerous television shows and films throughout his career.
5. Jonathan Wild (1756-1838), an English clergyman and botanist who made significant contributions to the study of plant taxonomy.

The surname Wild has also been associated with various place names throughout England, such as Wildwood, Wilderton, and Wildmoor, suggesting that some bearers of the name may have derived their surname from these locations.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Wild

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

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 Wild 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 Wild 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 Wild was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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