2000
#7,091
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,348
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.61
Rare Last name
Wilfong
An English occupational surname derived from the Old English words "will" meaning desire and "fang" meaning seize or take.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,653 Americans carry the last name Wilfong. That puts it at #7,837 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.36 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 73,663 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Wilfong 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
4.7K
1 in 73,663
Census rank
#7,837
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,058 bearers of the surname Wilfong in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.36 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7837th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Wilfong, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.7%. The next largest groups are Black (6.7%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Wilfong
The surname WILFONG is believed to have originated in Germany, with its earliest recorded use dating back to the 16th century. The name is derived from the German words "wilfen" and "fang," which translate to "wolf's den" or "wolf's lair." This suggests that the name may have been initially given to someone who lived near a wolf's den or a place associated with wolves.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the WILFONG name can be found in the town records of Heidelberg, Germany, from the year 1567. Here, a man named Johann WILFONG is listed as a resident of the town. It is believed that the name may have originated in this region or nearby areas of southwestern Germany.
As the WILFONG family grew and members migrated to other parts of Europe and eventually to the Americas, the name underwent various spelling variations. Some of these include WILFANG, WILLFONG, and WILFUNG, reflecting regional dialects and pronunciations.
In the 18th century, a notable figure with the WILFONG surname was Johann Friedrich WILFONG (1720-1789), a German composer and organist who was employed at the court of Frederick the Great in Prussia.
Another historical figure bearing the WILFONG name was Wilhelm WILFONG (1832-1908), a German-American artist known for his landscapes and portraits. He immigrated to the United States in the mid-19th century and settled in Philadelphia, where he gained recognition for his artistic talents.
In the 19th century, a family by the name of WILFONG settled in the Shenandoah Valley region of Virginia, where they became prominent farmers and landowners. One member of this family, Jacob WILFONG (1815-1892), served as a lieutenant in the Confederate Army during the American Civil War.
Another notable WILFONG was Hans WILFONG (1876-1944), a German-born American architect who designed several prominent buildings in New York City, including the Manhattan Municipal Building and the New York County Courthouse.
Finally, in the early 20th century, there was a German-American writer and journalist named Hedwig WILFONG (1887-1965), who wrote several books and articles on topics related to German culture and history.
While the WILFONG name has its roots in Germany, it has since spread to various parts of the world, with families bearing this surname found in countries such as the United States, Canada, Australia, and others. However, its origins can be traced back to the wolf's dens and lairs of 16th-century Germany.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Wilfong
Among Census respondents with the surname Wilfong, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.7%. The next largest groups are Black (6.7%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Wilfong 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 Wilfong surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White85.7% · 3,477
- Black or African American6.7% · 270
- Two or more races3.6% · 146
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 124
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 21
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 20
Timeline
Historical Census data for Wilfong
Wilfong 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
#7,584
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,382
+34 bearers (+0.8%)
Per 100,000 1.49
Rank movement Down 493 places
2020
#7,837
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,058
-324 bearers (-7.4%)
Per 100,000 1.36
Rank movement Down 253 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,091 | 4,348 | 1.61 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,584 | 4,382 | 1.49 | +34 bearers (+0.8%) | Down 493 places |
| 2020 | #7,837 | 4,058 | 1.36 | -324 bearers (-7.4%) | Down 253 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 Wilfong 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 | #7,584 | #7,837 | -3.3% |
| Count | 4,382 | 4,058 | -7.4% |
| Per 100K | 1.49 | 1.36 | -8.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Wilfong bearers went from 4,382 to 4,058 (-7.4% change). The surname moved down 253 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,584 to #7,837.
FAQ
Wilfong surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Wilfong?
Name Census estimates that about 4,653 living Americans carry the surname Wilfong. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 73,663 residents.
How common is Wilfong?
Wilfong ranks #7,837 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.36 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,058 people with the surname Wilfong. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,653), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.36 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.36 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Wilfong.
Has Wilfong become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Wilfong went from 4,382 recorded bearers to 4,058. That is a decrease of 324 (-7.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,584 to #7,837.
What does the Census say about the background of Wilfong?
Among Census respondents with the surname Wilfong, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.7%. The next largest groups are Black (6.7%) and Two or More Races (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 Wilfong in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.7% (3,477 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Wilfong appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (85.7%), Black (6.7%), Two or More Races (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 Wilfong (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 Wilfong mean?
An English occupational surname derived from the Old English words "will" meaning desire and "fang" meaning seize or take. 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 Wilfong (1.36 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 people have the surname Wilfong?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.