Explore the Family Name Wilfred

The meaning of Wilfred

1. German: variant of Wilfert 2. 2. English: variant of Wilford. Possibly also from the Middle English personal name Wilfrith (Old English Wilfrīth, formed from will ‘will’ + frīth ‘peace’), though this seems to have given rise only to Wilfrey as a (now extinct) surname and may be unconnected to modern Wilfred bearers.

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

How common is the last name Wilfred in the United States?

According to data derived from the Decennial U.S. Census, the popularity or prevalence of the surname 'Wilfred' has seen a significant rise in recent years. In the year 2000, Wilfred was ranked 70,679 in terms of popularity, but by 2010, it had climbed to 60,045, reflecting a change of 15.05%. The count of individuals with this surname also increased from 258 in 2000 to 336 in 2010—a growth rate of 30.23%. This accounts for an increase from 0.1 to 0.11 per 100k people, indicating a 10.0% uptick in proportion.

20002010Change
Rank#70,679#60,04515.05%
Count25833630.23%
Proportion per 100k0.10.1110%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Wilfred

On the subject of ethnicity, the Decennial U.S. Census data exhibits intriguing trends. From 2000 to 2010, the percentage of individuals of Asian/Pacific Islander descent bearing the surname 'Wilfred' saw a considerable growth of 56.45%, rising from 10.08% to 15.77%. There was also a notable increase among those identifying as Black, going up from 45.35% to 52.38%—a change of 15.50%. However, the proportion of those identifying as White and those ascribing to two or more races decreased by 33.10% and 52.78% respectively. Meanwhile, the percentage of those identifying as Hispanic showed a new emergence at 3.27% in 2010 which was non-existent in 2000, while the American Indian and Alaskan Native category remained at zero for both years.

20002010Change
Black45.35%52.38%15.5%
White39.15%26.19%-33.1%
Asian/Pacific Islander10.08%15.77%56.45%
Hispanic0%3.27%0%
Two or More Races5.04%2.38%-52.78%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0%0%0%