# Wolf (surname)

Source: https://namelineage.com/surname/wolf/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. Counts from the US Census Bureau; origin and etymology from Wiktionary; bearers from Wikidata. Data updated 2026-11-11.

A surname transferred from the given name.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Origin | English |
| Type | patronymic, formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name |
| People in the US (2010 Census) | 70,031 |
| US rank (2010) | 474 of 162,253 |
| How often | about 1 in every 4,409 people |
| Change since 2000 | +1.6% (68,905 in 2000) |
| Pronunciation | not recorded |
| Variant spellings | none recorded |

## Etymology

From Middle English and German short forms of given names containing the Germanic element "wolf".

## Who carries it

Share of people named Wolf in the 2010 US Census by the Census's own race and ethnicity groups. The Census suppresses a share when the count behind it is small.

| Group | Share |
|---|---|
| White (not Hispanic) | 94% |
| Black (not Hispanic) | 1.1% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 2.2% |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 0.6% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 1.1% |
| Two or more races | 1.5% |

## Where

Wikidata records people named Wolf in the United States, Austria, Austria–Hungary, Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, Germany and Cisleithania.

## People named Wolf

- Hugo Wolf, Austrian composer (1860–1903)
- Naomi Wolf, American feminist and journalist (born 1962)
- David Wolf, American astronaut
- Dick Wolf, American television producer (born 1946)
- Hillary Wolf, American actor and judoka
- Sigrid Wolf, alpine skier
- Eric Wolf, American anthropologist (1923-1999)
- Hannes Wolf, Austrian footballer
- Frank Wolf, American politician
- Wally Wolf, American swimmer (1930-1997)
- J.J. Wolf, American tennis player (born 1998)
- Austin Wolf, American pornographic actor

and 25 more on Wikidata.

## Similar surnames

Wolfe, Wolff, Woolf, Wulf, Wulff, Wilby.

## How to read these numbers

A Census count is people alive and counted in 2010, not births, and names occurring fewer than 100 times are not published at all. Ethnicity shares are the Census's own categories.