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

Wilder, 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 Wilder surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Wilder in America

Wilder is the 1131st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Wilder surname appeared 31,018 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 11 people would have the surname Wilder.

We can also compare 2010 data for Wilder 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 Wilder

The surname Wilder is of German origin, derived from the Old High German word "wildi," meaning "wild" or "untamed." It was likely initially used as a descriptive name for someone who lived in a remote or untamed area, or perhaps had a wild or unruly demeanor.

The earliest recorded instances of the name can be traced back to the 13th century in various regions of Germany. One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Johannes Wilder, a farmer from the village of Wittenberge in Brandenburg, mentioned in a land deed from 1274.

In England, the name Wilder is thought to have been introduced by German immigrants in the 16th and 17th centuries. The first recorded instance of the name in England is found in the parish records of St. Mary's Church in Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk, where a Thomas Wilder was christened in 1587.

Notable historical figures with the surname Wilder include Benton Wilder (1815-1910), an American businessman and philanthropist who co-founded the American Baptist Home Mission Society. Another prominent bearer of the name was Thornton Wilder (1897-1975), the acclaimed American playwright and novelist who won three Pulitzer Prizes for his works, including "Our Town" and "The Bridge of San Luis Rey."

In the realm of literature, Laura Ingalls Wilder (1867-1957) was the author of the beloved "Little House on the Prairie" series of children's books, which chronicled her family's life on the American frontier in the late 19th century.

The name Wilder has also been associated with places, such as Wilder, Idaho, a city named after Marshall P. Wilder, a prominent businessman and financier in the late 19th century. Additionally, the Wilder Ranch State Park in California is named after Wilbur F. Wilder, a 19th-century dairyman and rancher who once owned the land.

Another notable figure was William Wilder (1611-1679), an English politician and Member of Parliament during the English Civil War, who played a significant role in the trial and execution of King Charles I in 1649.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Wilder

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

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

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

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