Contents [hide]

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

United States Canada Australia New Zealand West Indies

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Suggested Reading Citations

Wild History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Germany

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

Early Origins of the Wild family

The surname Wild 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 Wild family

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

Wild 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 Wild include Wilder, Wildt, Wilde, Wild, Wilt, Wildter and others.

Early Notables of the Wild family

Prominent among members of the name Wild in this period include

Rudolf Ewald Friedrich Wilhelm Wilde, who was the lieutenant of the 2nd infantry regiment of the Prussia army and was ennobled in 1855 in reward for his outstanding service and bravery

Wild World Ranking

In the United States, the name Wild is the 3,921^st most popular surname with an estimated 7,461 people with that name. 1 However, in France, the name Wild is ranked the 4,159^th most popular surname with an estimated 1,500 - 2,000 people with that name. 2 And in Australia, the name Wild is the 989^th popular surname with an estimated 4,018 people with that name. 3 New Zealand ranks Wild as 876^th with 834 people. 4 The United Kingdom ranks Wild as 593^rd with 11,023 people. 5

Wild migration to the United States +

Between the mid-17th and mid-20th centuries, German settlers arrived in North America by the thousands. Persecution based on religion and poverty were great motivators in this large-scale migration. So too was the opportunity for tenant farmers to own their own land. Ample land and opportunity awaited the settlers who went to such states as Pennsylvania, Texas, New York, Illinois, and California, as well as Ontario and the prairie provinces of Canada. Research into the origins of individual families in North America revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Wild or a variant listed above:

Wild Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Robert Wild, (Wile), aged 21, who settled in Virginia in 1635 aboard the ship "Paul"
William, John and Jo Wild, who all, who settled in Boston Massachusetts in 1635
Alice Wild, aged 40, who arrived in New England aboard the ship "Elizabeth" in 1635 6
Jo Wild, aged 17, who arrived in New England aboard the ship "Elizabeth" in 1635 7
Mr. William Wild, aged 30, who arrived in New England aboard the ship "Elizabeth" in 1635 7
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Wild Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

John Wild, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1703 6
Johann Georg Wild, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1730 6
Valentin Wild, who arrived in Philadelphia in 1732
Abraham Wild, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1751 6
Jacob Wild, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1752 6
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Wild Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

David Wild, who landed in America in 1807 6
Casper Wild, aged 24, who landed in St Louis, Missouri in 1841 6
Charles Wild, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1844 6
Harriet Wild, who landed in New York, NY in 1844 6
Henry Wild, aged 21, who arrived in St Louis, Missouri in 1846 6
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Wild Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Miss Mary A. Wild, aged 19, British settler who arrived in New York aboard the ship "Cynosure" in 1863
Miss Sarah J. Wild, aged 20, British settler who arrived in New York aboard the ship "Cynosure" in 1863

Wild migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Wild Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Joseph Wild, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1749
Margereta Wild, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1757
Barnard Wild, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1757
Elisabeth Wild, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1757

Wild migration to Australia +

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

Wild Settlers in Australia in the 18th Century

Mr. James Wild, English convict who was convicted in York, Yorkshire, England for 14 years, transported aboard the "Barwell" in September 1797, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 8

Wild Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

William Wild, English convict from Shropshire, who was transported aboard the "Ann" on August 1809, settling in New South Wales, Australia 9
Mr. John Wild, (Ward), (b. 1785), aged 35, Irish waterman who was convicted in Dublin, Ireland for 7 years for felony, transported aboard the "Dorothy" on 5th May 1820, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 10
John Wild, English convict from Middlesex, who was transported aboard the "Argyle" on March 5th, 1831, settling in Van Diemen's Land, Australia 11
Miss Rebecca Wild, (b. 1813), aged 19, English convict who was convicted in Middlesex, England for 7 years for theft, transported aboard the "Fanny" on 14th July 1832, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, she died in 1909 12
Mr. William Wild, British convict who was convicted in Guernsey for 14 years, transported aboard the "Captain Cook" on 2nd May 1833, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 13
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Wild migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Wild Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Edward Wild, who landed in Wellington, New Zealand in 1843
Frederick Wild, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Theresa" in 1844
Mr. Richard Wild, Cornish settler travelling from Launceston, UK aboard the ship "Border Maid" arriving in New Zealand in 1851 14
Mr. Wild, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Simlah" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 10th June 1853 15
Mrs. Wild, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Simlah" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 10th June 1853 15
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Wild migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 16

Wild Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

John Wild, who settled in Barbados in 1654

Contemporary Notables of the name Wild (post 1700) +

Harry J. Wild A.S.C. (1901-1961), American film and television cinematographer, Academy Award co-nominee
John Daniel Wild (1902-1972), American philosopher
Earl Wild (1915-2010), American pianist
Payson Sibley Wild (1905-1998), American educator and political scientist, Dean of Graduate School of Arts and Sciences at Harvard University (1946-1949)
Horace B Wild (d. 1940), American aviator
Patricia Wild, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from New York, 1972 17
Nathan Wild, American politician, Member of New Hampshire State Senate 9th District, 1833-35 17
Max M. Wild, American politician, First Selectman of Hartford, Connecticut, 1926-27 17
Lilas Wild, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Florida, 2004 17
Claude C. Wild, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Texas, 1940 17
... (Another 18 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Wild family +

Hillsborough disaster

Martin Kenneth Wild (1959-1989), English printing worker who was attending the FA Cup semi-final at Hillsborough Stadium, in Sheffield, Yorkshire when the stand allocated area became overcrowded and 96 people were crushed in what became known as the Hillsborough disaster and he died from his injuries 18

HMS Repulse

Mr. Harry Wild, British Able Bodied Seaman, who sailed into battle on the HMS Repulse (1941) and survived the sinking 19

RMS Lusitania

Miss Agnes Wild, English 2nd Class passenger residing in Paterson, New Jersey, USA, who sailed aboard the RMS Lusitania (1915) and survived the sinking by escaping on a starboard boat (13 it is believed) 20
Miss Evelyn Norbury Wild, English 2nd Class passenger residing in Paterson, New Jersey, USA, who sailed aboard the RMS Lusitania (1915) and survived the sinking by escaping on a starboard boat (13 it is believed) 20

Citations +

"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 Australia." Forebears, https://forebears.io/australia/surnames
"Most Common Last Names in New Zealand." Forebears, https://forebears.io/new-zealand/surnames
"UK surname ranking." UK Surname map, https://www.surnamemap.eu/unitedkingdom/surnames_ranking.php?p=10
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
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 29th September 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/barwell
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2016, October 27) Ann voyage to New South Wales, Australia in 1809 with 200 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/ann/1809
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 12th July 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/dorothy
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2015, January 8) Argyle voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1831 with 251 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/argyle/1831
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 29th September 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/fanny
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 17th December 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/captain-cook
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 20) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
Hillsborough Victims (retreived 21st March 2021). Retreived from https://metro.co.uk/2019/04/15/remembering-96-victims-hillsborough-disaster-30-years-9206566/
HMS Repulse Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listrepulsecrew.html
Lusitania Passenger List - The Lusitania Resource. (Retrieved 2014, March 6) . Retrieved from http://www.rmslusitania.info/lusitania-passenger-list/