Show ContentsWiltz History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The history of the Wiltz family name begins in the German province of Bavaria. Wiltz 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. Wiltz is a name for a person who was extremely wild and passionate. The surname Wiltz is derived from the German word wild, which means the same in English.

Early Origins of the Wiltz family

The surname Wiltz 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 Wiltz family

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

Wiltz Spelling Variations

Many cultural groups lived in the German states in medieval times. Each had its own dialect and traditions, and unique variations of popular names. Low German, which is similar to contemporary Dutch, was spoken in Westphalia. German names are characterized by additions such as regional suffixes and phrases that tell something about the origin or background of its original bearer. Further contributing to the variation in German names was the fact that there were no spelling rules in medieval times: scribes recorded names according to their sound. The recorded spelling variations of Wiltz include Wilder, Wildt, Wilde, Wild, Wilt, Wildter and others.

Early Notables of the Wiltz family

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

Wiltz Ranking

In the United States, the name Wiltz is the 15,010th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. [1]


United States Wiltz migration to the United States +

Thousands of German settlers came to North America between the mid-17th and mid-20th centuries. The hardships of the long voyage were balanced by the opportunity to escape poverty and religious persecution. The descendents of these settlers still populate the states of Pennsylvania, Texas, New York, Illinois, and California. Many also live in Ontario and the prairie provinces of Canada. An inquiry into the early roots of North American families has revealed a number of immigrants bearing the name Wiltz or a variant listed above:

Wiltz Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Christoph Wiltz, who arrived in America in 1775
Wiltz Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Abraham Wiltz, who arrived in Baltimore, Maryland in 1835 [2]
  • Anna Wiltz, who settled in America in 1867
  • Georg Wiltz, who settled in America in 1882

Contemporary Notables of the name Wiltz (post 1700) +

  • Louis Alfred Wiltz (1843-1881), American politician, Mayor of New Orleans, Louisiana, 1872-74; Lieutenant Governor of Louisiana; Elected 1876; Governor of Louisiana, 1880-81 [3]
  • Louis Alfred Wiltz (1843-1881), American politician, 29th Governor of Louisiana (1880-1881)


  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  2. 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)
  3. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 26) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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