Wilden History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Germany

The history of the Wilden family name begins in the German province of Bavaria. Wilden is a nickname surname, a class of German names derived from eke-names, or added names, that described people by a personal characteristic or other attribute. Wilden is a name for a person who was extremely wild and passionate. The surname Wilden is derived from the German word wild, which means the same in English.

Early Origins of the Wilden family

The surname Wilden was first found in Bavaria, where the name contributed greatly to the development of an emerging nation that would later play an important role in the tribal and national conflicts of the area. The Wiltz variant claim descendancy from the eponymous Wiltz, a city in north-western Luxembourg, capital of the canton Wiltz, home of the Wiltz Castle which belonged to the former Counts of Wiltz.

Early History of the Wilden family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Wilden research. Another 130 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1573 and 1855 are included under the topic Early Wilden History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Wilden Spelling Variations

In the medieval era, many different cultural groups lived in the German states. There are thus many regional variations of German surnames from that era. Westphalians spoke Low German, which is similar to modern Dutch. Many German names carry suffixes that identify where they came from. Others have phrases attached that identify something about the original bearer. Other variations in German names resulted from the fact that medieval scribes worked without the aid of any spelling rules. The spelling variations of the name Wilden include Wilder, Wildt, Wilde, Wild, Wilt, Wildter and others.

Early Notables of the Wilden family

Another 41 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Wilden Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Wilden migration to the United States +

German settlers were among the most common to come to North America between the mid-17th and mid-20th centuries. Poverty and religious persecution drove many Bavarians to make this long trek. tenant farmers were also enticed by the prospect of owning land. From east to west, these German immigrants populated the United States, settling in Pennsylvania, Texas, New York, Illinois, and California. Ontario and the prairie provinces of Canada also provided homes to many. Early settlers bearing the Wilden surname or a spelling variation of the name include:

Wilden Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Richard Wilden, who landed in Virginia in 1657 1
Robert Wilden, who arrived in Maryland in 1665 1

Contemporary Notables of the name Wilden (post 1700) +

Leo Wilden (1936-2022), German footballer who played as defender including two 1962 World Cup Qualification matches for the West Germany national team
Gert Wilden (1917-2015), German film composer who scored music for more than 50 feature films in numerous genres
Rita Wilden (b. 1947), German Olympic athlete in the 400 metres and the first Olympic women's 4 x 400 m relay
Ben Wilden (b. 1985), Australian trampolinist and former national champion
Anthony Wilden (b. 1935), British writer, social theorist, college lecturer, and consultant

Citations +

Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)