Show ContentsWilde History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Wilde Family Crest Download (JPG) Heritage Series - 600 DPI

Family Crest Download (JPG) Heritage Series - 600 DPI

Etymology of Wilde

What does the name Wilde mean?

The name Wilde is an ancient name that was given to a person in Britain soon after the arrival of the Normans in the 1066. It is a name for a person who was a person of wild or undisciplined character. Looking back even further, we found the name was originally derived from the Old English word "wilde," meaning "untamed" or "uncivilized." 1

There may be a Norman connection in that some references refer the name as a variant of the French Le Sauvage. 2 The Magni Rotuli Scaccarii Normanniae lists Unfrid Salvage and Walter Salvage in Normandy (1180-1195.) 3

Early Origins of the Wilde family

The surname Wilde was first found in Berkshire where they held a family seat as Lords of the manor of Wyld Court. 4 The family claims descent from Ulric Wilde, a Domesday tenant in that county. 5

"This ancient English name is mostly confined to the northern midlands, its principal homes being in Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, and the West Riding [of Yorkshire], whence it has spread to the counties around. " 6

The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 listed various early spelling of the family including: Emma la Willde, Oxfordshire; Walter le Wilde, Suffolk; and William le Wilde, Huntingdonshire. The Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 listed numerous entries for Johannes Wylde. 7

Early History of the Wilde family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Wilde research. Another 73 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1508, 1550, 1559, 1584, 1590, 1609, 1611, 1616, 1627, 1660, 1669, 1679 and 1692 are included under the topic Early Wilde History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Wilde Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Wild, Wilde, Wildee, Wylde, Wildes and others.

Early Notables of the Wilde family

  • Thomas Wylde (ca.1508-1559), Clothier of The Commandery, Worcester, England; George Wild or George Wylde (1550-1616), an English lawyer and politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1584 and...

Wilde Ranking

the United States, the name Wilde is the 3,013rd most popular surname with an estimated 9,948 people with that name. 8 However, in the United Kingdom, the name Wilde is ranked the 886th most popular surname with an estimated 7,728 people with that name. 9

Migration of the Wilde family to Ireland

Some of the Wilde family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 31 words (2 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Wilde migration to the United States +



Wilde Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Alice Wilde, who arrived in Massachusetts in 1635
  • John Wilde, who arrived in Massachusetts in 1635
  • George Wilde, who settled in Massachusetts in 1635
  • William Wilde, who arrived in Rowley, Massachusetts in 1643 10
  • Abraham Wilde, who landed in Maryland in 1670 10
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Wilde Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Edward Wilde, who landed in Virginia in 1714 10
  • Peter Wilde, who arrived in Philadelphia in 1727
  • John Wilde, who arrived in Virginia in 1756
  • John Wilde, who arrived in Maryland in 1771 10
Wilde Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Hannah Wilde, who settled in Richmond, VA in 1820
  • Isaac S Wilde, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1833 10
  • Miss Anne Wilde, aged 13, British settler who arrived in New Orleans aboard the ship "Hope" on 1st April 1842
  • Marg Wilde, who landed in America in 1843 10
  • A Cath Wilde, who arrived in America in 1845 10
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Wilde migration to Australia +

Wilde Settlers in Australia in the 18th Century
  • Mr. George Wilde, (1765 - 1812), aged 31, British settler who was convicted in Cheshire, England for life for house breaking, transported aboard the "Ganges" on 31st July 1796, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 11
  • Mr. Joseph Wilde (Wylde, Wild), (1773 - 1847), aged 23, British constable who was convicted in Cheshire, England for 15 years for house breaking, transported aboard the "Ganges" on 31st July 1796, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 11
Wilde Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Wilde 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:

Wilde Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • Anne E. Wilde, aged 27, a housemaid, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Ionic" in 1884

Wilde 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. 17
Wilde Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century
  • Richard Wilde, who settled in Barbados in 1679

Contemporary Notables of the name Wilde (post 1700) +

  • Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Will Wilde (1854-1900), Irish poet, dramatist, and novelist, probably best remembered for his "The Importance of Being Earnest" (1895) and "The Picture of Dorian Gray" (1890)
  • Olivia Wilde (b. 1984), stage name of Olivia Jane Cockburn, American actress who took her stage name from Irish author Oscar Wilde, best known for her roles in the television series House (2007-2012), Tron: Legacy (2010), Cowboys and Aliens (2011) and more
  • Lee Wilde (1922-2015), American singer, member of The Wilde Twins, sister to Lyn Wilde
  • Lyn Wilde (1922-2016), American singer, member of The Wilde Twins, sister to Lee Wilde
  • Cornel Wilde (1915-1989), American actor and film director
  • Mary Lyn Wilde (b. 1922), and Marion Lee, American identical twins, singers and actresses in musicals
  • Percival Wilde (1887-1953), American author and dramatist
  • Samuel Sumner Wilde (d. 1855), American politician, Justice of Massachusetts State Supreme Court, 1815-50 18
  • Samuel Wilde, American politician, Member of New Jersey State House of Assembly from Essex County, 1872-73 19
  • ... (Another 20 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

The Wilde 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: Veritas victrix
Motto Translation: Truth Conquered.
  1. Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
  2. Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
  3. The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
  4. Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
  5. Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
  6. Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
  7. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  8. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  9. "UK surname ranking." UK Surname map, https://www.surnamemap.eu/unitedkingdom/surnames_ranking.php?p=10
  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)
  11. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 24th October 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au
  12. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 9th December 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/canada
  13. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 12th August 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/dunvegan-castle
  14. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 28th February 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/eliza
  15. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 20th August 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/aurora
  16. State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) LADY MARY PELHAM 1836. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1836LadyMaryPelham.htm
  17. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
  18. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 20) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html

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