2000
#6,810
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,559
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.69
Rare Last name
Wulf
Derived from the Germanic word for "wolf," likely referring to a person with wolf-like qualities or a wolf hunter.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,616 Americans carry the last name Wulf. That puts it at #7,910 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.35 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 74,254 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Wulf 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
4.6K
1 in 74,254
Census rank
#7,910
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,025 bearers of the surname Wulf in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.35 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7910th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Wulf, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%) and Hispanic (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Wulf
The surname WULF is of Anglo-Saxon origin, derived from the Old English word "wulf" meaning "wolf." It is believed to have originated as a nickname for someone who displayed wolf-like characteristics or lived near a den of wolves. The name's roots can be traced back to the early medieval period in England.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname WULF can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive survey of land ownership in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. The name appears in various spellings, such as "Wlf" and "Wulf," suggesting its widespread use during that time.
During the 12th century, the WULF surname was prominent in the East Anglian region of England. Notable figures include Wulf of Hadstock (c. 1150-1220), a landowner and local administrator in Essex, and Wulf de Bocking (c. 1180-1245), a wealthy merchant and benefactor of religious institutions in Suffolk.
In the 13th century, the name WULF was associated with several influential families in the northern counties of England. One prominent individual was Wulf de Coupland (c. 1240-1310), a baron and military commander who fought in the Scottish Wars of Independence under Edward I.
The WULF surname also has a strong presence in Germany, where it is spelled "Wolf." One of the earliest recorded instances is Hermann Wolf (c. 1450-1520), a renowned German humanist and scholar who taught at the University of Wittenberg and was a contemporary of Martin Luther.
In the 16th century, the WULF surname gained prominence in the Netherlands, where it was often associated with place names. For example, Jan Wulf van Campen (1520-1585) was a notable Dutch architect and sculptor who designed several important buildings in Utrecht and Amsterdam.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the WULF surname continued to be widespread across various European countries, including England, Germany, and the Netherlands. Notable figures include Christian Wolff (1679-1754), a German philosopher and mathematician who made significant contributions to the fields of logic and metaphysics, and Johann Christoph Wolf (1683-1739), a German philologist and bibliographer who is considered a pioneer in the study of classical literature.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Wulf
Among Census respondents with the surname Wulf, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%) and Hispanic (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Wulf 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 Wulf surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.8% · 3,694
- Two or more races2.9% · 116
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 114
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.3% · 52
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 39
- Black or African American0.2% · 10
Timeline
Historical Census data for Wulf
Wulf 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
#7,397
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,499
-60 bearers (-1.3%)
Per 100,000 1.53
Rank movement Down 587 places
2020
#7,910
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,025
-474 bearers (-10.5%)
Per 100,000 1.35
Rank movement Down 513 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,810 | 4,559 | 1.69 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,397 | 4,499 | 1.53 | -60 bearers (-1.3%) | Down 587 places |
| 2020 | #7,910 | 4,025 | 1.35 | -474 bearers (-10.5%) | Down 513 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 Wulf 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 | #7,397 | #7,910 | -6.9% |
| Count | 4,499 | 4,025 | -10.5% |
| Per 100K | 1.53 | 1.35 | -12.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Wulf bearers went from 4,499 to 4,025 (-10.5% change). The surname moved down 513 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,397 to #7,910.
FAQ
Wulf surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Wulf?
Name Census estimates that about 4,616 living Americans carry the surname Wulf. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 74,254 residents.
How common is Wulf?
Wulf ranks #7,910 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.35 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 4,025 people with the surname Wulf. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,616), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.35 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.35 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 Wulf.
Has Wulf become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Wulf went from 4,499 recorded bearers to 4,025. That is a decrease of 474 (-10.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,397 to #7,910.
What does the Census say about the background of Wulf?
Among Census respondents with the surname Wulf, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%) and Hispanic (2.8%). 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 Wulf in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.8% (3,694 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Wulf appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.8%), Two or More Races (2.9%), Hispanic (2.8%). 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 Wulf (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 Wulf mean?
Derived from the Germanic word for "wolf," likely referring to a person with wolf-like qualities or a wolf hunter. 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 Wulf (1.35 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 share the surname Wulf?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.