Explore the Family Name De Wolf

The meaning of De Wolf

Dutch; Flemish (also Dewolf): from wolf ‘wolf’, with the definite article de ‘the’, applied as a topographic or habitational name referring to a house or tavern distinguished by the sign of a wolf and possibly named something like De Hongerige Wolf ‘The Hungry Wolf’, or as a nickname for someone considered to behave or look like a wolf. Compare Wolf.

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name De Wolf in the United States?

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the surname De Wolf experienced a decrease in popularity from 2000 to 2010. In 2000, De Wolf ranked 12,583 in terms of popularity and declined by 10.2% to 13,867th position in 2010. The actual count of people bearing this surname also saw a slight reduction from 2,258 in 2000 to 2,179 in 2010, marking a decrease of 3.5%. Consequently, the proportion of individuals with the De Wolf surname per 100,000 population fell by 11.9%, from 0.84 in 2000 to 0.74 in 2010.

20002010Change
Rank#12,583#13,867-10.2%
Count2,2582,179-3.5%
Proportion per 100k0.840.74-11.9%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name De Wolf

Regarding the ethnic identity associated with the De Wolf surname, the Decennial U.S. Census data reflects some shifts between the years 2000 and 2010. While the percentage of De Wolf surname bearers identifying as White dropped slightly from 95.97% in 2000 to 93.71% in 2010, there was a notable increase for those identifying as Hispanic; rising from 1.46% to 2.71%. Interestingly, the surname started to appear in the American Indian and Alaskan Native category in 2010, accounting for 0.64%. However, the proportion of Asian/Pacific Islander decreased to zero. No data was recorded for bearers of the De Wolf surname identifying as Black in either year.

20002010Change
White95.97%93.71%-2.35%
Hispanic1.46%2.71%85.62%
Two or More Races1.9%2.39%25.79%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0%0.64%0%
Asian/Pacific Islander0.31%0%0%
Black0%0%0%