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

Wolfgang, 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 Wolfgang surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Wolfgang in America

Wolfgang is the 11225th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Wolfgang surname appeared 2,817 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 Wolfgang.

We can also compare 2010 data for Wolfgang 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 Wolfgang

The surname Wolfgang is of German origin, emerging during the medieval period in Europe. It is a compound name derived from the Old High German words "wolf" (meaning wolf) and "gang" (meaning path or way), translating to "one who walks the path of the wolf" or "one who follows the wolf's way."

The name originated in various regions of present-day Germany, particularly in areas where Germanic tribes inhabited, such as Bavaria and Saxony. It is believed to have been initially adopted as a descriptive name, potentially referring to individuals who possessed wolf-like characteristics or lived in proximity to wolves.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Wolfgang can be found in the Codex Traditionum of the Benedictine monastery of Mondsee, Austria, dating back to the 11th century. This manuscript mentions individuals bearing the name Wolfgang, suggesting its use during this period.

In the 12th century, the name appeared in the Annals of the Monastery of St. Gall, a chronicle documenting events in present-day Switzerland. Here, a monk named Wolfgang is mentioned, indicating the name's prevalence among religious figures of that time.

Notable individuals with the surname Wolfgang throughout history include:

1. Johann Wolfgang (1463-1537), a German humanist and theologian known for his contributions to the Renaissance.
2. Philipp Wolfgang (1554-1608), a German composer and organist active during the Renaissance and early Baroque periods.
3. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832), one of the most influential writers and intellectuals of the German Enlightenment and Romantic era.
4. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791), the renowned Austrian composer and musical prodigy of the Classical era, whose full name was Johannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart.
5. Karl Wolfgang Benjamin Lipsius (1805-1861), a German philologist and archaeologist known for his work on ancient Greek and Roman artifacts.

The surname Wolfgang has also been associated with various place names, such as Wolfgangssee and St. Wolfgang im Salzkammergut, both located in Austria. These locations likely derived their names from individuals bearing the surname Wolfgang or from the wolf-related origins of the name itself.

Over time, the surname Wolfgang has undergone slight variations in spelling, such as Wolfgangk, Wolfgangh, and Wolffgang, reflecting regional and linguistic differences. However, the core meaning and etymology of the name have remained consistent throughout its history.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Wolfgang

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

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

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

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