Explore the Family Name Wolfer
The meaning of Wolfer
German: 1. from a shortened form of the ancient Germanic personal names Wolfher or Wolfhart, composed of the elements wolf ‘wolf’ + hari ‘army’ or hard ‘hardy’, ‘brave’. 2. topographic name for someone who lived in a place frequented by wolves, Middle High German wolf, or a habitational name for someone from any of the places called Wolf in Hesse, Rhineland-Palatinate, Baden-Württemberg.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Wolfer in the United States?
Based on data from the Decennial U.S. Census, the popularity of the surname 'Wolfer' has seen a slight decline between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, 'Wolfer' ranked 17,419th in popularity among surnames in the United States, but by 2010 it had dropped to 19,441st. The number of individuals bearing this surname also declined by approximately 7%, from 1,493 in 2000 to 1,390 in 2010. Consequently, the proportion of people named 'Wolfer' per 100k population reduced by 14.55%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #17,419 | #19,441 | -11.61% |
| Count | 1,493 | 1,390 | -6.9% |
| Proportion per 100k | 0.55 | 0.47 | -14.55% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Wolfer
The ethnic identity of those with the 'Wolfer' surname has also seen some shifts between 2000 and 2010, according to the Decennial U.S. Census. The majority of individuals with this surname identified as White, although this proportion decreased slightly by 2.11% over the decade. There was a significant increase in those identifying as Hispanic, from 0.94% to 2.01%. Those identifying as having two or more races increased by 18.56%, while American Indian and Alaskan Native representation saw a minor increase of 15.00%. However, there were no individuals with the 'Wolfer' surname identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander or Black in 2010 compared to 0.60% and 0.33% respectively in 2000, possibly due to data suppression for privacy reasons.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 95.18% | 93.17% | -2.11% |
| Two or More Races | 1.94% | 2.3% | 18.56% |
| Hispanic | 0.94% | 2.01% | 113.83% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 1% | 1.15% | 15% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0.6% | 0% | 0% |
| Black | 0.33% | 0% | 0% |