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

Wulff, 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 Wulff surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Wulff in America

Wulff is the 11423rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Wulff surname appeared 2,758 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 Wulff.

We can also compare 2010 data for Wulff 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 Wulff

The surname Wulff is of Germanic origin and can be traced back to medieval times. It is believed to have originated in northern Germany and the Low Countries region. The name is derived from the Old Germanic word "wulf," which means wolf. This suggests that the original bearers of the name may have been associated with wolves or lived in areas where these animals were prevalent.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Wulff name can be found in the Codex Traditionum Westfalicarum, a medieval manuscript from the late 12th century that documented land transactions and property rights in Westphalia, a region in northwestern Germany. This record mentions individuals with the surname Wulff as landowners and tenants.

During the 13th century, the name appeared in various forms, such as Wulf, Wulve, and Wolff, in various parts of northern Germany and the Low Countries. These variations in spelling were common during that time due to the lack of standardized spellings.

In the late 15th century, a prominent figure named Johann Wulff (c. 1470-1537) was a German theologian and reformer who played a significant role in the early stages of the Protestant Reformation. He worked closely with Martin Luther and was known for his contributions to the translation of the Bible into German.

Another notable individual with the Wulff surname was Christoph Wulff (1638-1711), a German Baroque painter and engraver. He was born in Nuremberg and is known for his intricate etchings and engravings depicting religious and mythological scenes.

In the 18th century, Johann Gottlieb Wulff (1739-1805) was a Danish astronomer and mathematician. He made significant contributions to the study of comets and developed methods for calculating their orbits with greater accuracy.

During the 19th century, the Wulff name became more widespread across Europe, with many individuals bearing this surname migrating to other parts of the continent and beyond. One example is Theodor Wulff (1868-1946), a German industrialist and entrepreneur who founded the Wulff Group, a successful manufacturing company based in Hamburg.

Throughout history, the Wulff surname has been associated with various place names and locations, such as Wulfrath, a town in the Rhineland region of Germany, and Wulfsdorf, a village in Schleswig-Holstein, northern Germany. These place names may have influenced the spelling and variations of the surname over time.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Wulff

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

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

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

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