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

Wilds, 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 Wilds surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Wilds in America

Wilds is the 10416th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Wilds surname appeared 3,090 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Wilds.

We can also compare 2010 data for Wilds 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 Wilds

The surname Wilds is an English surname that originated in the 12th century. It is derived from the Old English word "wilde," meaning "wild" or "untamed." The name likely referred to someone who lived in a remote or wild area, or perhaps someone with a wild or unruly personality.

The earliest recorded instances of the Wilds surname can be found in various historical records from the 13th century onwards, including the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 and the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from 1301. These records mention individuals with the surname Wilds residing in various parts of England, particularly in Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, and Norfolk.

One notable historical figure bearing the Wilds surname was Sir John Wilds (1590-1668), an English politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Grantham during the English Civil War. He was a staunch Royalist and supported King Charles I against the Parliamentarians.

Another prominent individual was Robert Wilds (1609-1679), an English clergyman and author who served as the Bishop of Derry in Ireland. He wrote several religious works and was known for his strong Anglican principles.

In the 18th century, the Wilds surname gained further recognition with the birth of William Wilds (1742-1821), a renowned English painter and engraver. He was particularly skilled in landscape and animal painting and is considered one of the finest English artists of his time.

The Wilds surname also has connections to various place names in England, such as Wildes Marsh in Lincolnshire and Wildesmoor in Staffordshire. These place names may have influenced the spelling variations of the surname over time, including Wilde, Wylde, and Wyldes.

Throughout history, several other notable individuals have borne the Wilds surname, including John Wilds (1683-1758), an English mathematician and astronomer, and Samuel Wilds (1712-1790), a prominent English architect who designed several churches and country houses in the Georgian style.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Wilds

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

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

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

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