2000
#10,692
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,742
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.02
Rare Last name
Wulff
From the Germanic word for "wolf," likely referring to a person with wolf-like characteristics or a wolf hunter.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,242 Americans carry the last name Wulff. That puts it at #10,781 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.95 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 105,723 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Wulff 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
3.2K
1 in 105,723
Census rank
#10,781
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,827 bearers of the surname Wulff in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.95 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10781st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Wulff, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.9%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Wulff
Among Census respondents with the surname Wulff, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.9%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Wulff 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 Wulff surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.2% · 2,549
- Hispanic or Latino4.9% · 139
- Two or more races2.7% · 76
- Black or African American0.9% · 25
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 25
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 13
Timeline
Historical Census data for Wulff
Wulff 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
#11,423
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,758
+16 bearers (+0.6%)
Per 100,000 0.93
Rank movement Down 731 places
2020
#10,781
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,827
+69 bearers (+2.5%)
Per 100,000 0.95
Rank movement Up 642 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,692 | 2,742 | 1.02 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,423 | 2,758 | 0.93 | +16 bearers (+0.6%) | Down 731 places |
| 2020 | #10,781 | 2,827 | 0.95 | +69 bearers (+2.5%) | Up 642 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 Wulff 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 | #11,423 | #10,781 | 5.6% |
| Count | 2,758 | 2,827 | 2.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.93 | 0.95 | 1.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Wulff bearers went from 2,758 to 2,827 (+2.5% change). The surname moved up 642 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,423 to #10,781.
FAQ
Wulff surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Wulff?
Name Census estimates that about 3,242 living Americans carry the surname Wulff. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 105,723 residents.
How common is Wulff?
Wulff ranks #10,781 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.95 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 2,827 people with the surname Wulff. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,242), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.95 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.95 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 Wulff.
Has Wulff become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Wulff went from 2,758 recorded bearers to 2,827. That is an increase of 69 (+2.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #11,423 to #10,781.
What does the Census say about the background of Wulff?
Among Census respondents with the surname Wulff, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.9%) and Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Wulff in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.2% (2,549 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Wulff appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.2%), Hispanic (4.9%), Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Wulff (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 Wulff mean?
From the Germanic word for "wolf," likely referring to a person with wolf-like characteristics 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 Wulff (0.95 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 Wulff?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.