2010
#159,712
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Woelfer
A topographic name for someone living near wolf woods or lairs.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 109 Americans carry the last name Woelfer. That puts it at #156,592 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 3,144,535 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Woelfer 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
109
1 in 3,144,535
Census rank
#156,592
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
95
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 95 bearers of the surname Woelfer in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 156592nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Woelfer, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Woelfer
The surname Woelfer originates from Germany, dating back to the Middle Ages. This surname is derived from the German word "Wolf," which translates to "wolf" in English, combined with the suffix "er," implying an association with or a characteristic of wolves. This suffix often indicated a person’s occupation or a trait, so Woelfer may have referred to someone who hunted wolves or had qualities associated with a wolf, such as cunning or strength.
In Old High German, the components of the name can be linked to "wolf" and "hari," meaning army or warrior, suggesting a potential historical role as a warrior. The regions of Bavaria and Saxony in particular are noted for the early use of the name, reflecting the spread of the surname within the Holy Roman Empire. Spellings of Woelfer have varied, with early records indicating forms such as Woelffer and Wölfer, the umlaut version often appearing in historical documents.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Woelfer appears in a Bavarian tax register from 1467, listing a Hans Woelfer as a landowner. An alternative spelling, Woelffer, is found in a 15th-century Saxon legal document referencing Heinrich Woelffer, a craftsman involved in the construction of local fortifications. These records suggest that the name was reasonably well established by that period.
The name appears in parish records and church registers in the centuries that followed. In the 1600s, a notable figure was Georg Woelfer, who served as a mayor in a small village in Thuringia, and was known for his efforts to rebuild after the Thirty Years' War, born in 1589 and died in 1662. Another prominent person with the surname was Katharina Woelfer, a midwife in early 18th-century Augsburg, noted in municipal archives for her advanced medical knowledge and practice between 1710 and 1745.
In the realm of arts, Martin Woelfer, born in 1732 and passing in 1799, became a recognized painter in Bavaria, his works influenced by the late Baroque style, suggesting the surname shortened to the more common form known today. Several letters and contracts associated with his commissions reveal the notable artwork he contributed to regional churches and private collections.
In the academic world, Johann Woelfer, an 18th-century philosopher and writer, made his mark with works on humanism and theological discourse during his tenure at the University of Leipzig, living from 1758 to 1814. His writings reflect societal views during the Enlightenment, contributing to the intellectual heritage of the period.
Throughout history, the surname Woelfer has been associated with various professions and societal roles, reflecting the diverse paths of those who bore the name. The surviving records in municipal archives, church registries, and historical documents underscore both the spread and the legacy of the Woelfer surname across Germanic regions and beyond.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Woelfer
Among Census respondents with the surname Woelfer, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Woelfer 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 Woelfer surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White97.9% · 93
- Hispanic or Latino2.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Woelfer
Woelfer appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#156,592
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 95
-6 bearers (-5.9%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Up 3,120 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #159,712 | 101 | 0.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #156,592 | 95 | 0.03 | -6 bearers (-5.9%) | Up 3,120 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 Woelfer 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 | #159,712 | #156,592 | 2.0% |
| Count | 101 | 95 | -5.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.03 | 5.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Woelfer bearers went from 101 to 95 (-5.9% change). The surname moved up 3,120 positions in the national ranking, going from #159,712 to #156,592.
FAQ
Woelfer surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Woelfer?
Name Census estimates that about 109 living Americans carry the surname Woelfer. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 3,144,535 residents.
How common is Woelfer?
Woelfer ranks #156,592 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 95 people with the surname Woelfer. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (109), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Woelfer.
Has Woelfer become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Woelfer went from 101 recorded bearers to 95. That is a decrease of 6 (-5.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #159,712 to #156,592.
What does the Census say about the background of Woelfer?
Among Census respondents with the surname Woelfer, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.1%). 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 Woelfer in the 2020 Census, accounting for 97.9% (93 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Woelfer appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (97.9%), Hispanic (2.1%). 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 Woelfer (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 Woelfer mean?
A topographic name for someone living near wolf woods or lairs. 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 Woelfer (0.03 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 Woelfer?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.