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

Wolfe, 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 Wolfe surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Wolfe in America

Wolfe is the 374th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Wolfe surname appeared 83,928 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 28 people would have the surname Wolfe.

We can also compare 2010 data for Wolfe 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 Wolfe

The surname Wolfe is of Anglo-Saxon origin and derives from the Old English word "wulf" meaning wolf. It is believed to have originated as a nickname for someone who exhibited wolf-like characteristics or lived near an area frequented by wolves.

The name can be traced back to the 11th century in England, with records showing it appearing in the Domesday Book of 1086, a survey of land and property carried out by William the Conqueror after the Norman invasion.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name is found in the Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire in 1175, where a man named Alanus Lupus (Latin for "wolf") is mentioned. This suggests that the name may have been influenced by the Norman-French word "loup" which also means wolf.

In the 13th century, the name appears in various spellings such as Wulf, Wolff, and Wolfe, indicating the development of the modern form. The surname is also found in place names like Woolfe Green in Buckinghamshire and Wolfeley in Shropshire, further indicating its widespread use.

Notable individuals with the surname Wolfe include John Wolfe (c. 1537-1601), an English Protestant writer and controversialist; James Wolfe (1727-1759), a British Army officer known for his victory over the French in the Battle of the Plains of Abraham during the Seven Years' War; and Thomas Clayton Wolfe (1900-1938), an American novelist best known for his novel "Look Homeward, Angel".

Other notable figures with the surname include Michael Wolff (born 1953), an American author and journalist; Christian Wolff (1679-1754), a German philosopher and mathematician; and Elsie de Wolfe (1865-1950), an American actress and interior decorator credited with popularizing a modern, informal style of interior design.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Wolfe

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

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

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

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