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Wilder History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Suggested Reading Citations

Wilder History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Germany

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

Early Origins of the Wilder family

The surname Wilder 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 Wilder family

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

Wilder Spelling Variations

One can encounter great variation in the spelling of surnames: in early times, spelling in general, and thus the spelling of names was not yet standardized; and later, spellings would change with branching and movement of families. Variations of the name Wilder include Wilder, Wildt, Wilde, Wild, Wilt, Wildter and others.

Early Notables of the Wilder family

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

Wilder Ranking

In the United States, the name Wilder is the 848^th most popular surname with an estimated 34,818 people with that name. 1

Wilder 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 Wilder surname or a spelling variation of the name include:

Wilder Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Roger Wilder, (d. 1621), who landed in Plymouth, Massachusetts in 1620 aboard the ship "Mayflower" 2
Miss Mary Wilder, who arrived aboard the ship "Confidence" in 1638 in New England and Boston stated, bound for Hingham 3
Thomas and Martha, and their daughter Mary Wilder who, who settled in Charlestown, Massachusetts in 1638
Martha Wilder, (d. 1690), who arrived aboard the ship "Confidence" in 1638 in New England and Boston stated, bound for Hingham. 2
Solomon Wilder, who arrived in Maryland in 1660 2
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Wilder Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Hans Martin Wilder, who arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1727 aboard the ship "William and Sarah" 2
Hans Adam Wilder, who settled in Philadelphia in 1727

Wilder Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Conrad Wilder, who arrived in New York in 1830 2
Jesse Wilder, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1850 2
Julius Wilder, aged 33, who landed in Alabama in 1858 2
Gotleib Wilhelm Wilder, who settled in Philadelphia in 1860

Wilder migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Wilder Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Thomas Wilder, who landed in Halifax, Nova Scotia in 1749-1752

Wilder Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Hiram Wilder, who arrived in Canada in 1830
Nathaniel Wilder, who landed in Canada in 1836
Rupert Wilder, who landed in Canada in 1836
Palmer Billings Wilder, who arrived in Canada in 1839

Wilder Settlers in Canada in the 20th Century

Rosina Wilder, aged 24, who arrived in Halifax, Nova Scotia in 1902
Jacob Wilder, aged 25, who landed in Halifax, Nova Scotia in 1902
Helena Wilder, who landed in Halifax, Nova Scotia in 1902

Wilder migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Wilder Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Richard Wilder, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Condor" in 1851 4

Contemporary Notables of the name Wilder (post 1700) +

Thornton Niven Wilder (1897-1975), American playwright and novelist awarded the 1927 Pulitzer Prize for Novel and the 1938 and 1942 Pulitzer Prizes for Drama, recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom
Gene Wilder (1933-2016), born Jerome Silberman, American two-time Academy Award nominated actor, best known for his work on Young Frankenstein (1974), Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971) and Blazing Saddles (1974)
Burt Green Wilder (1841-1925), American comparative anatomist
Laura Ingalls Wilder (1867-1957), American writer, most notably the author of the Little House on the Prairie books of children's novels
Deontay Leshun Wilder (b. 1985), American heavyweight boxer with a knockout ratio of 96.9%
Effie Leland Wilder (1909-2007), American homemaker and author, known for her first book, Out to Pasture which was published when she was 85 years old
Raymond Louis Wilder (1896-1982), American mathematician who specialized in topology, President of the American Mathematical Society (1955-1956), President of the Mathematical Association of America (1965-1966)
Michael Wilder (b. 1962), American chess grandmaster, United States Chess Champion in 1988
James Wilder (b. 1958), American former football running back who played from 1981 to 1990
John T. Wilder (1830-1917), American Civil War general in the Union Army
... (Another 45 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Citations +

"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
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)
Pilgrim Ship's of 1600's Retrieved January 6th 2023, retrieved from https://www.packrat-pro.com/ships/shiplist.htm
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) CONDOR 1851. Retrieved http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1851Condor.htm