2000
#11,639
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,472
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.92
Rare Last name
Wolk
A surname of German and Jewish origin, derived from the Germanic word "wolf," meaning "wolf."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,665 Americans carry the last name Wolk. That puts it at #12,685 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.78 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 128,613 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Wolk 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
2.7K
1 in 128,613
Census rank
#12,685
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,324 bearers of the surname Wolk in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.78 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12685th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Wolk, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.5%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Wolk
The surname Wolk has its origins in Poland, where it is believed to have emerged in the 15th century. It is derived from the Old Polish word "wilk," meaning "wolf." This likely indicates that the name was originally given as a nickname or descriptive name to someone who exhibited wolf-like characteristics or lived in an area with a large wolf population.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Wolk surname can be found in the Polish town of Krakow, where a merchant named Jan Wolk is mentioned in a 1487 document. The name also appears in various church records and tax registers from the 16th and 17th centuries in regions such as Silesia and Greater Poland.
In the 18th century, the Wolk surname gained prominence with the birth of Andrzej Wolk (1725-1801), a Polish nobleman and military leader who played a significant role in the Kosciuszko Uprising against Russian forces. Another notable figure was Franciszek Wolk (1786-1844), a Polish painter and portraitist who gained recognition for his works depicting scenes from Polish history.
As the Wolk family spread throughout Poland and neighboring countries, variations in spelling emerged, including Wolke, Wolki, and Wolkov. Some of these variations can be traced to the migration of Wolk families to areas such as Belarus, Ukraine, and Russia, where the name was adapted to local linguistic traditions.
During the 19th century, the Wolk surname gained further recognition with the birth of Kazimierz Wolk (1808-1875), a Polish writer and journalist who played a prominent role in the Polish independence movement. Another notable figure from this period was Antoni Wolk (1837-1912), a Polish engineer and inventor who made significant contributions to the development of early internal combustion engines.
As the 20th century dawned, the Wolk surname continued to be represented across various fields. One notable figure was Stanislaw Wolk (1900-1986), a Polish-American journalist and author who wrote extensively about Polish culture and history.
Throughout its history, the Wolk surname has been associated with individuals from diverse backgrounds, including merchants, noblemen, military leaders, artists, writers, and engineers. While the name may have originated as a descriptive nickname, it has since become a respected and widely recognized Polish surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Wolk
Among Census respondents with the surname Wolk, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.5%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Wolk 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 Wolk surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.0% · 2,184
- Hispanic or Latino2.5% · 59
- Two or more races2.5% · 59
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 17
- Black or African American0.2% · 4
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Wolk
Wolk appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#12,303
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,527
+55 bearers (+2.2%)
Per 100,000 0.86
Rank movement Down 664 places
2020
#12,685
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,324
-203 bearers (-8.0%)
Per 100,000 0.78
Rank movement Down 382 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,639 | 2,472 | 0.92 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,303 | 2,527 | 0.86 | +55 bearers (+2.2%) | Down 664 places |
| 2020 | #12,685 | 2,324 | 0.78 | -203 bearers (-8.0%) | Down 382 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 Wolk 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 | #12,303 | #12,685 | -3.1% |
| Count | 2,527 | 2,324 | -8.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.86 | 0.78 | -9.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Wolk bearers went from 2,527 to 2,324 (-8.0% change). The surname moved down 382 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,303 to #12,685.
FAQ
Wolk surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Wolk?
Name Census estimates that about 2,665 living Americans carry the surname Wolk. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 128,613 residents.
How common is Wolk?
Wolk ranks #12,685 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.78 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,324 people with the surname Wolk. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,665), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.78 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.78 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Wolk.
Has Wolk become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Wolk went from 2,527 recorded bearers to 2,324. That is a decrease of 203 (-8.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,303 to #12,685.
What does the Census say about the background of Wolk?
Among Census respondents with the surname Wolk, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.5%) and Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Wolk in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.0% (2,184 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Wolk appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.0%), Hispanic (2.5%), Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Wolk (2000, 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 Wolk mean?
A surname of German and Jewish origin, derived from the Germanic word "wolf," meaning "wolf." 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 Wolk (0.78 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 last name Wolk?
You can see how many Americans have the surname Wolk on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.