| ![Show Contents]() Woulfe History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
The ancient name Woulfe 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 Woulfe familyThe surname Woulfe 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 Woulfe familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Woulfe 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 Woulfe History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Woulfe Spelling VariationsAnglo-Norman names tend to be marked by an enormous number of spelling variations. This is largely due to the fact that Old and Middle English lacked any spelling rules when Norman French was introduced in the 11th century. The languages of the English courts at that time were French and Latin. These various languages mixed quite freely in the evolving social milieu. The final element of this mix is that medieval scribes spelled words according to their sounds rather than any definite rules, so a name was often spelled in as many different ways as the number of documents it appeared in. The name was spelled Wolfe, Wolf, Woolf, Woolfe, Wolff, de Wolfe and many more. Early Notables of the Woulfe familyOutstanding 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 College, Dublin, in 1755, and, having obtained a scholarship, graduated B.A. in 1760.Charles Wolfe (1791-1823), the Irish poet, was born at Blackhall, co. Kildare, on 14 Dec. 1791. He was one of a family of...
Another 74 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Woulfe Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.  Migration of the Woulfe family to Ireland
Some of the Woulfe 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.
| Woulfe migration to the United States | + |
Because of the political and religious discontent in England, families began to migrate abroad in enormous numbers. Faced with persecution and starvation at home, the open frontiers and generally less oppressive social environment of the New World seemed tantalizing indeed to many English people. The trip was difficult, and not all made it unscathed, but many of those who did get to Canada and the United States made important contributions to the young nations in which they settled. Some of the first North American settlers with Woulfe name or one of its variants:
Woulfe Settlers in United States in the 17th Century- Nicholas Woulfe, who arrived in Maryland in 1677 5
| Contemporary Notables of the name Woulfe (post 1700) | + |
- James Joseph Woulfe (1859-1924), American Major League Baseball player who played one season in 1884
- Mr. Denis Woulfe M.B.E., British Partner of Deloitte UK, was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire on 8th June 2018, for services to Women and Equality 6
- Stephen Woulfe (1787-1840), Irish barrister and politician, Solicitor-General for Ireland (1836), Attorney-General for Ireland (1838), he was the first Catholic to be Chief Baron of the Irish Exchequer
- Nuala Woulfe, Irish writer, best known for her first novel Chasing Rainbows
- Peter Woulfe (1727-1803), Irish chemist and mineralogist who invented the Woulfe Bottle
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
- 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)
- 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)
- "Birthday and New Year Honours Lists (1940 to 2019)." Issue 62310, 31 October 2019 | London Gazette, The Gazette, June 2018, https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/62310/supplement/B1
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Woulfe migration to the United States 
England
Ireland
