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

Wildman, 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 Wildman surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Wildman in America

Wildman is the 7151st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Wildman surname appeared 4,678 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Wildman.

We can also compare 2010 data for Wildman 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 Wildman

The surname WILDMAN is of English origin, tracing its roots back to the Middle Ages. It is believed to have emerged in the 14th or 15th century as a descriptive name, likely referring to someone who lived or worked in the wilderness or displayed a wild or unkempt appearance.

The name is derived from the Old English words "wilde" meaning "wild" or "untamed" and "man" referring to a person. This combination suggests that the earliest bearers of this surname may have been associated with living in remote or forested areas, perhaps as woodsmen, foresters, or those who lived off the land.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the WILDMAN surname can be found in the Subsidy Rolls of Warwickshire from 1524, where a John Wildman is listed. This indicates that the name was already established in England by the early 16th century.

In the 17th century, the WILDMAN surname appears in various historical records, including the marriage of Thomas WILDMAN to Mary Moulton in 1611 in Cambridgeshire. Additionally, a notable figure bearing this surname was John WILDMAN (c. 1622-1693), an English Baptist minister and political agitator during the English Civil War.

Another prominent individual with the WILDMAN surname was Thomas WILDMAN (1623-1672), an English merchant and author who wrote a book titled "A Treatise on Trade" in 1670, advocating for free trade policies.

Moving into the 18th century, John WILDMAN (1688-1753) was an English politician and Whig Member of Parliament for Aylesbury from 1727 to 1741.

In the 19th century, Walter WILDMAN (1822-1896) was a British architect responsible for designing several notable buildings in London, including the former National Club and the Grosvenor Hotel.

The WILDMAN surname has also been associated with various place names throughout England, such as Wildman's Wood in Suffolk and Wildman's Lane in Hertfordshire, suggesting a connection to specific locations where early bearers of the name may have resided or worked.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Wildman

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

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

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

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