# Wolfgang (first name)

Source: https://namelineage.com/first-name/wolfgang/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. US counts from the Social Security Administration; England and Wales counts from the Office for National Statistics; meaning and etymology from Wiktionary. Data updated 2026-11-11.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Usually given to | boys |
| Origin | German |
| Meaning | “wolf”, “path”, “course” |
| Pronunciation | /ˈwʊlf.ɡæŋ/, 2 syllables |
| Nicknames | none recorded |
| Variant spellings | none recorded |
| US babies named this | 3,220 since 1880 |
| Boys / girls in the US | 3,220 / 0 (0% girls) |
| Babies in England and Wales | 146, 1996 to 2025 |

## Etymology

Borrowed from German Wolfgang (reinforced by Medieval Latin Wolfgangus), from Middle High German Wolfgang, from Old High German Wolfgang, from wolf (“wolf”) + gang (“path, course”).

## What it means

Wolfgang is grouped under wolf.

## Popularity

The last 15 years of each series. A year is missing when too few babies were given the name for the agency to publish it: five in the US, three in England and Wales.

### United States, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 84 | 1,754 |
| 2012 | 67 | 2,065 |
| 2013 | 68 | 2,019 |
| 2014 | 93 | 1,669 |
| 2015 | 113 | 1,480 |
| 2016 | 119 | 1,455 |
| 2017 | 117 | 1,458 |
| 2018 | 126 | 1,400 |
| 2019 | 146 | 1,282 |
| 2020 | 132 | 1,352 |
| 2021 | 148 | 1,288 |
| 2022 | 131 | 1,413 |
| 2023 | 145 | 1,322 |
| 2024 | 115 | 1,539 |
| 2025 | 115 | 1,519 |

### England and Wales, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 3 | 4,678 |
| 2011 | 7 | 2,613 |
| 2013 | 3 | 4,685 |
| 2014 | 9 | 2,248 |
| 2015 | 6 | 3,004 |
| 2016 | 8 | 2,556 |
| 2017 | 10 | 2,172 |
| 2018 | 15 | 1,610 |
| 2019 | 10 | 2,104 |
| 2020 | 12 | 1,825 |
| 2021 | 13 | 1,782 |
| 2022 | 10 | 2,165 |
| 2023 | 5 | 3,523 |
| 2024 | 9 | 2,443 |
| 2025 | 10 | 2,269 |

## In other languages

- Arabic: فولفغانغ
- Armenian: Վոլֆգանգ
- Bulgarian: Во̀лфганг
- Chinese: 沃爾夫岡 /沃尔夫冈, 沃夫岡 /沃夫冈
- Danish: Wolfgang
- Esperanto: Volfgango
- Estonian: Wolfgang
- Finnish: Wolfgang
- French: Wolfgang
- Georgian: ვოლფგანგი
- German: Wolfgang
- Greek: Βόλφγκανγκ
- Hebrew: וולפגנג
- Hindi: वुल्फ़्गैंग
- Hungarian: Wolfgang
- Indonesian: Wolfgang
- Irish: Wolfgang
- Italian: Wolfgang
- Japanese: ヴォルフガング
- Korean: 볼프강

## People named Wolfgang

- Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Austrian composer of the Classical period (1756–1791)
- Wolfgang Petersen, German film director (1941–2022)
- Wolfgang Schüssel, Chancellor of Austria from 2000 to 2007
- Wolfgang Overath, German footballer
- Johann Wolfgang Döbereiner, German chemist
- Wolfgang Köhler, German-American psychologist and phenomenologist (1887-1967)
- Erich Wolfgang Korngold, Austrian-born American composer and conductor (1897–1957)
- Wolfgang Dremmler, German footballer
- Wolfgang Stark, German football referee
- Franz Xaver Wolfgang Mozart, Austrian composer, teacher and performer; youngest son of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1791-18
- Wolfgang von Kempelen, Austrian dramatic, graphic, constructer, linguist, painter, writer, inventor and nobleman 
- Wolfgang Reitherman, American animator (1909–1985)

## How to read these numbers

A count is babies registered with that name in that year, not people alive now, so a name common a century ago can have a large total and few recent births.