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

Wolfson, 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 Wolfson surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Wolfson in America

Wolfson is the 8768th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Wolfson surname appeared 3,740 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 Wolfson.

We can also compare 2010 data for Wolfson 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 Wolfson

The surname Wolfson originates from Germany, where it first emerged in the late medieval period around the 13th century. It is derived from the German words "wolf" and "sohn," meaning "son of the wolf." This name likely referred to someone who possessed wolf-like qualities or lived near a den of wolves.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Wolfson can be found in the Nuremberg Chronicles, a famous illustrated world history published in 1493. This historical record mentions a "Hans Wolfson" from the town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber in Bavaria.

During the 16th century, the Wolfson name appeared in various town records across Germany, particularly in the regions of Saxony and Brandenburg. Notable individuals bearing this surname include Johann Wolfson (1532-1594), a prominent Lutheran theologian and author from Wittenberg.

As migration patterns evolved, the name spread to other parts of Europe, including the Netherlands and England. In the Netherlands, the surname was sometimes spelled as "Wolfsohn" or "Wolfzoon," reflecting the Dutch language's influence.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Wolfson name in England dates back to the late 17th century. A certain William Wolfson (1655-1718) was a successful merchant and landowner in the county of Yorkshire.

Throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, several notable figures bore the Wolfson surname. These include Isaac Wolfson (1786-1849), a influential rabbi and scholar from Poland, and Sir Isaac Wolfson (1816-1897), a British industrialist and philanthropist who made significant contributions to the development of the steel industry.

In the 20th century, notable individuals with the Wolfson name include Sir Mark Wolfson (1912-2005), a British businessman and philanthropist who co-founded the Wolfson Foundation, and Lord Leonard Wolfson (1927-2010), a successful entrepreneur and chairman of the Great Universal Stores retail chain.

While the Wolfson surname originated in Germany, it has since spread across the globe, reflecting the migration patterns and cultural influences of various communities over the centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Wolfson

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

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

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

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