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

Wilk, 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 Wilk surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Wilk in America

Wilk is the 5971st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Wilk surname appeared 5,763 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 Wilk.

We can also compare 2010 data for Wilk 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 Wilk

The surname WILK originates from Poland, where it first appeared in the early 13th century. It is derived from the Polish word "wilk," meaning "wolf." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived near a wooded area inhabited by wolves or someone with wolf-like characteristics.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the WILK surname can be found in the "Liber Beneficiorum" (Book of Benefices) from the Archdiocese of Gniezno, dated around 1275. This medieval document mentions a cleric named "Wilk de Dobramila" from the village of Dobramila.

In the 14th century, the surname WILK appeared in various historical records across different regions of Poland. For instance, in 1388, a landowner named "Janek Wilk" was mentioned in a document from the town of Kraków.

The WILK surname has also been associated with several notable individuals throughout history. One example is Stanisław WILK (1516-1598), a Polish nobleman and military commander who fought in the Livonian War against Russia. Another is Józef WILK (1800-1854), a Polish poet and translator known for his translations of works by Lord Byron and Adam Mickiewicz.

In the 16th century, the variant spelling "WILCZ" emerged, likely due to the influence of the Polish word "wilczy," meaning "of the wolf." This spelling can be found in records from the town of Sandomierz, where a merchant named "Maciej Wilcz" is mentioned in 1543.

The WILK surname has also been connected to various place names in Poland, such as the village of Wilków near Radom, and the town of Wilkowice in the Silesian region, both of which may have derived their names from the presence of wolves or from individuals bearing the WILK surname.

Other notable individuals with the WILK surname include Andrzej WILK (1870-1929), a Polish painter and illustrator known for his landscapes and portraits, and Eugeniusz WILK (1916-1997), a Polish engineer and inventor who developed several innovative technologies for the mining industry.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Wilk

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

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

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

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