2000
#148,244
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Wildfeuer
A German surname meaning "wild fire" or "raging wildfire".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 118 Americans carry the last name Wildfeuer. That puts it at #154,182 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,904,698 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Wildfeuer 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
118
1 in 2,904,698
Census rank
#154,182
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
103
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 103 bearers of the surname Wildfeuer in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 154182nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Wildfeuer, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Hispanic (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Wildfeuer
The surname Wildfeuer originates from Germany and dates back to the medieval period. The name is rooted in the Middle High German words "wild" meaning "wild" or "untamed," and "feuer" meaning "fire." It is likely that the name was originally a descriptive surname, perhaps referring to someone with a fiery temperament or an uncontrolled nature, or associated with a person who worked with fire in some capacity such as a blacksmith or a particularly explosive character.
The regions where Wildfeuer originated are predominantly in the southern parts of Germany, especially in Bavaria and the surrounding areas. This is where many of the early records of the name have been found. In these areas, family names derived from characteristics and professions were commonly adopted as surnames.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Wildfeuer appears in a Bavarian tax register from 1357. The document makes mention of a Heinrich Wildfeuer, who appears to have been a landowner of some significance. This suggests that the name had been established in the region well before the 14th century.
In the archives of the city of Nürnberg, a record from 1482 references a Martin Wildfeuer, who was a noted metalworker known for his skill in crafting intricate designs using fire-based techniques. His works were so respected that they were often commissioned by local nobility. Another significant mention is that of Johannes Wildfeuer, a soldier in the Thirty Years' War, who lived from 1598 to 1653. His service is detailed in military documents, where his bravery in battle was often highlighted.
A notable bearer of the surname in the 18th century was Friedrich Wildfeuer, born in 1732 and passed away in 1801. He was a renowned musician and composer, his works reflecting the rich cultural milieu of 18th century Germany. His compositions are still celebrated in regional folklore and have been preserved in local archives.
In the 19th century, the name continues to appear in various records, such as with Wilhelm Wildfeuer, an 1830-born chemist who made significant contributions in the field of metallurgy and the use of early chemical processes involving fire. His work was highly influential in the industrial advancements of his time.
The surname Wildfeuer is not just a relic of the past but has left a lasting legacy through the contributions of these historical figures across various fields. Each individual with the surname added to the rich tapestry of its meaning, cementing Wildfeuer as a name associated with creativity, bravery, and technical skill through the ages.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Wildfeuer
Among Census respondents with the surname Wildfeuer, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Hispanic (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Wildfeuer 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 Wildfeuer surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.2% · 96
- Two or more races3.9% · 4
- Hispanic or Latino1.9% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Wildfeuer
Wildfeuer 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
#149,395
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
+8 bearers (+7.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 1,151 places
2020
#154,182
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
-7 bearers (-6.4%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 4,787 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #148,244 | 102 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #149,395 | 110 | 0.04 | +8 bearers (+7.8%) | Down 1,151 places |
| 2020 | #154,182 | 103 | 0.03 | -7 bearers (-6.4%) | Down 4,787 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 Wildfeuer 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 | #149,395 | #154,182 | -3.2% |
| Count | 110 | 103 | -6.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -13.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Wildfeuer bearers went from 110 to 103 (-6.4% change). The surname moved down 4,787 positions in the national ranking, going from #149,395 to #154,182.
FAQ
Wildfeuer surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Wildfeuer?
Name Census estimates that about 118 living Americans carry the surname Wildfeuer. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,904,698 residents.
How common is Wildfeuer?
Wildfeuer ranks #154,182 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 103 people with the surname Wildfeuer. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (118), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Wildfeuer.
Has Wildfeuer become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Wildfeuer went from 110 recorded bearers to 103. That is a decrease of 7 (-6.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #149,395 to #154,182.
What does the Census say about the background of Wildfeuer?
Among Census respondents with the surname Wildfeuer, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Hispanic (1.9%). 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 Wildfeuer in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.2% (96 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Wildfeuer appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.2%), Two or More Races (3.9%), Hispanic (1.9%). 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 Wildfeuer (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 Wildfeuer mean?
A German surname meaning "wild fire" or "raging wildfire". 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 Wildfeuer (0.03 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 common is the surname Wildfeuer?
If you just want to know how common the surname Wildfeuer is, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.