Contents [hide]

Wolf History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables World Ranking

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Motto Suggested Reading Citations

Wolf History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Netherlands
England
Germany
Ireland

The ancient name Wolf is a Norman name that would have been developed in England after the Norman Conquest of England in 1066. This name is thought to have evolved from a nickname for a person who bore some resemblance to a wolf, either in appearance or behavior 1 2 "often Latinized as Lupus and found in the French forms Lou and Love." 3

Early Origins of the Wolf family

The surname Wolf was first found in The Pipe Rolls, or Sheriff's Annual Accounts of the Counties of Cumberland, Westmorland and Durham during the reigns of Henry II, Richard I and John where the forename Ulf de Appelbi was recorded in 1163. The same rolls listed Ulf Stodhyrda in 1196. 4

In Lincolnshire, the Pipe Rolls of 1166 included an entry for Robert Wulf as holding lands there at that time. 3

Later the Cartularium Abbatiale de Whiteby, Ordinis S. Benedicti had two records, this time as a surname: Roger Ulfe; and William filius Ulfe in 1350. 4

Early History of the Wolf family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Wolf research. Another 85 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1202, 1550, 1560, 1578, 1739, 1755, 1760, 1791, 1803 and 1823 are included under the topic Early Wolf History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Wolf Spelling Variations

Anglo-Norman names are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. When the Normans became the ruling people of England in the 11th century, they introduced a new language into a society where the main languages of Old and later Middle English had no definite spelling rules. These languages were more often spoken than written, so they blended freely with one another. Contributing to this mixing of tongues was the fact that medieval scribes spelled words according to sound, ensuring that a person's name would appear differently in nearly every document in which it was recorded. The name has been spelled Wolfe, Wolf, Woolf, Woolfe, Wolff, de Wolfe and many more.

Early Notables of the Wolf family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was

Arthur Wolfe, 1st Viscount Kilwarden (1739-1803), Lord Chief Justice of Ireland, the son of John Wolfe of Forenaughts, co. Kildare, and of Mary, only daughter of William Philpot. He entered at Trinity...
Charles Wolfe (1791-1823), the Irish poet, was born at Blackhall, co. Kildare, on 14 Dec. 1791. He was one of a family of eleven children and the youngest of eight sons of Theobald Wolfe of Blackhall...
Davis Wolfe (d. 1578?), was the Papal Legate in Ireland, born in Limerick. he entered the Order of the Jesuits about 1550, was Rector of the College at Modena, and about August 1560 returned to Irela...

Wolf World Ranking

In the United States, the name Wolf is the 524^th most popular surname with an estimated 54,714 people with that name. 5 However, in France, the name Wolf is ranked the 1,931^st most popular surname with an estimated 3,210 people with that name. 6 And in Netherlands, the name Wolf is the 342^nd popular surname with an estimated 4,520 people with that name. 7

Migration of the Wolf family to Ireland

Some of the Wolf family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 34 words (2 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Wolf migration to the United States +

For many English families, the political and religious disarray that plagued their homeland made the frontiers of the New World an attractive prospect. Thousands migrated, aboard cramped disease-ridden ships. They arrived sick, poor, and hungry, but were welcomed in many cases with far greater opportunity than at home in England. Many of these hardy settlers went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations in which they landed. Among early immigrants bearing the name Wolf or a variant listed above were:

Wolf Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Claes Wolf, who arrived in New Netherland(s) in 1658 8
Thomas Wolf, who settled in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1683

Wolf Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

John George Wolf, who settled in New England in 1709 with his wife, two sons, and two daughters
Hans Bernard Wolf, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1727 aboard the ship "William and Sarah" 8
Hans Jerrick Wolf, German who arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1727 aboard the ship "William and Sarah" 9
Abraham Wolf, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1728 8
Jonas Wolf, who settled in Philadelphia in 1732
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Wolf Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Paul Wolf, who settled in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1805
Elizabeth Wolf, aged 30, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1805 8
Frederick Wolf, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1833 8
Friedrich Philipp Christian Wolf, aged 27, who arrived in America in 1839 8
Christoph Wolf, aged 40, who landed in St Louis, Missouri in 1841 8
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Wolf Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Harnenn Wolf, who landed in Galveston, Tex in 1905 8

Wolf migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Wolf Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Magdalena Wolf, who arrived in Halifax, Nova Scotia in 1742
Augustin Wolf, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1749-1752

Wolf Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Andrew Wolf, who landed in Canada in 1841

Wolf migration to Australia +

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

Wolf Settlers in Australia in the 18th Century

Mr. George Wolf, English convict who was convicted in Middlesex, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Barwell" in September 1797, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 10

Wolf Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Jacob Wolf, English convict who was convicted in Leeds, Yorkshire, England for 14 years, transported aboard the "Emperor Alexander"on 6th April 1833, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 11
Mr. George Wolf, (Wolfe), (b. 1826), aged 18, English tailor who was convicted in Coventry, England for 15 years for stealing, transported aboard the "Barossa" on 9th May 1844, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land), he died in 1914 12

Contemporary Notables of the name Wolf (post 1700) +

Alice K. Wolf (1933-2023), née Koerner, Austrian-born American politician, Member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives from 1996 to 2013
Charles Anthony "Charley" Wolf (1926-2022), American NBA basketball coach who coached the Cincinnati Royals from 1960 through 1963 and the Detroit Pistons from 1963 through 1964
Dale Edward Wolf (1924-2021), American businessman and politician from Wilmington, in New Castle County, Delaware, 70th Governor of Delaware (1992-1993), 22nd Lieutenant Governor of Delaware (1989-1992)
Philip C. Wolf (d. 2021), American entrepreneur and executive known for his work in the travel, tourism and hospitality industry
Kathleen Louise Wolf (1925-2020), née Munsterman, an American politician, member of the Indiana House of Representatives from 1984 to 1986
Warren H. Wolf (1927-2019), American high school football head coach and politician, Member of the New Jersey General Assembly (1982-1984)
Charles Wolf Jr. (1924-2016), American senior economic advisor at the RAND Corporation (1955-2016)
Max Wolf, American Olympic sliver medalist for gymnastics at the 1904 Summer Gamesw
Richard A. "Dick" Wolf (b. 1946), American two-time Primetime Emmy Award and Grammy Award winning producer and writer
Randall Christopher "Randy" Wolf (b. 1976), American Major League Baseball left-handed pitcher
... (Another 21 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Wolf family +

Bismarck

Herbert Wolf (1920-1941), German Verwaltungsgefreiter who served aboard the German Battleship Bismarck during World War II when it was sunk heading to France; he died in the sinking 13
Gerhard Wolf (1920-1941), German Matrosengefreiter who served aboard the German Battleship Bismarck during World War II when it was sunk heading to France; he died in the sinking 13
Edmund Wolf (1919-1941), German Mechanikersobergefreiter who served aboard the German Battleship Bismarck during World War II when it was sunk heading to France; he died in the sinking 13

St. Francis Dam

Mr. Charles Leslie Wolf, American resident in Santa Clarita killed when the St. Francis Dam failed and flooded the area in 1928

USS Arizona

Mr. George Alexanderson Wolf Jr., American Ensign from Pennsylvania, USA working aboard the ship "USS Arizona" when she sunk during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on 7th December 1941, he died in the sinking 14

The Wolf Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Fides in adversis
Motto Translation: faith in adversity

Citations +

Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
"Most Common Last Names in Netherlands." Forebears, https://forebears.io/netherlands/surnames
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)
Egle, William Henry. Names of foreigners who took the oath of allegiance to the province and state of Pennsylvania... Edwin K. Meyers state printer, 1892
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 29th September 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/barwell
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 11th April 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/emperor-alexander
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 24th September 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/barossa
Bismarck & Tirpitz Class - Crew List Bismarck. (Retrieved 2018, February 06). Retrieved from https://www.bismarck-class.dk/bismarck/crew/bismarck_crew.html#crew_details
Pearl Harbour: USS Arizona Casualties List Pearl Harbour December 7, 1941. (Retrieved 2018, July 31st). Retrieved from http://pearl-harbor.com/arizona/casualtylist.html