2000
#6,828
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,540
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.68
Rare Last name
Wildman
A descriptive surname referring to someone who lived in the wild or had an untamed, fierce character.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,165 Americans carry the last name Wildman. That puts it at #7,147 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.51 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 66,361 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Wildman 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Wildman with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.2K
1 in 66,361
Census rank
#7,147
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,504 bearers of the surname Wildman in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.51 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7147th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Wildman, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.8%. The next largest groups are Black (4.6%) and Hispanic (3.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Wildman
Among Census respondents with the surname Wildman, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.8%. The next largest groups are Black (4.6%) and Hispanic (3.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Wildman 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 Wildman surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.8% · 3,953
- Black or African American4.6% · 206
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 161
- Two or more races3.1% · 140
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 24
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 20
Timeline
Historical Census data for Wildman
Wildman 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
#7,151
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,678
+138 bearers (+3.0%)
Per 100,000 1.59
Rank movement Down 323 places
2020
#7,147
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,504
-174 bearers (-3.7%)
Per 100,000 1.51
Rank movement Up 4 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,828 | 4,540 | 1.68 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,151 | 4,678 | 1.59 | +138 bearers (+3.0%) | Down 323 places |
| 2020 | #7,147 | 4,504 | 1.51 | -174 bearers (-3.7%) | Up 4 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 Wildman 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 | #7,151 | #7,147 | 0.1% |
| Count | 4,678 | 4,504 | -3.7% |
| Per 100K | 1.59 | 1.51 | -5.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Wildman bearers went from 4,678 to 4,504 (-3.7% change). The surname moved up 4 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,151 to #7,147.
FAQ
Wildman surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Wildman?
Name Census estimates that about 5,165 living Americans carry the surname Wildman. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 66,361 residents.
How common is Wildman?
Wildman ranks #7,147 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.51 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,504 people with the surname Wildman. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,165), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.51 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.51 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Wildman.
Has Wildman become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Wildman went from 4,678 recorded bearers to 4,504. That is a decrease of 174 (-3.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #7,151 to #7,147.
What does the Census say about the background of Wildman?
Among Census respondents with the surname Wildman, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.8%. The next largest groups are Black (4.6%) and Hispanic (3.6%). 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 Wildman in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.8% (3,953 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Wildman appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.8%), Black (4.6%), Hispanic (3.6%). 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 Wildman (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 Wildman mean?
A descriptive surname referring to someone who lived in the wild or had an untamed, fierce character. 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 Wildman (1.51 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 Americans have the surname Wildman?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.