NameCensus.

UK surname

Wolfe

An English surname derived from the animal, likely referring to a person with wolf-like characteristics or a wolf hunter.

In the 1881 census there were 1,559 people recorded with the Wolfe surname, ranking it #2,709 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 2,263, ranked #2,867, down from #2,709 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, Lenton, Radford, Papplewick, Nuthall, Greasley, Brewhouse Yard and Alverstoke, Gosport, Rowner. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Flintshire, Kingston upon Hull and Hastings.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Wolfe is 2,468 in 1999. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 45.2%.

1881 census count

1,559

Ranked #2,709

Modern count

2,263

2016, ranked #2,867

Peak year

1999

2,468 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Wolfe had 1,559 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #2,709 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 2,263 in 2016, ranked #2,867.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 2,424 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Wolfe surname distribution map

The map shows where the Wolfe surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.

Distribution map

Wolfe surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Wolfe over time

The table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.

Year Period Count Rank
1851 historical 820 #3,287
1861 historical 802 #3,425
1881 historical 1,559 #2,709
1891 historical 1,759 #2,591
1901 historical 2,122 #2,537
1911 historical 2,424 #2,114
1997 modern 2,372 #2,635
1998 modern 2,448 #2,657
1999 modern 2,468 #2,659
2000 modern 2,419 #2,694
2001 modern 2,351 #2,705
2002 modern 2,363 #2,740
2003 modern 2,287 #2,766
2004 modern 2,278 #2,768
2005 modern 2,227 #2,803
2006 modern 2,238 #2,788
2007 modern 2,212 #2,848
2008 modern 2,232 #2,846
2009 modern 2,285 #2,853
2010 modern 2,332 #2,860
2011 modern 2,267 #2,897
2012 modern 2,272 #2,837
2013 modern 2,276 #2,883
2014 modern 2,274 #2,897
2015 modern 2,243 #2,905
2016 modern 2,263 #2,867

Geography

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Where Wolfes are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, Lenton, Radford, Papplewick, Nuthall, Greasley, Brewhouse Yard, Alverstoke, Gosport, Rowner and Portsmouth, Portsea. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Flintshire, Kingston upon Hull, Hastings, Sevenoaks and Arun. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Some modern areas include a three-digit suffix, such as Leeds 110. The suffix is a small-area code, so it stays in the table while the prose uses the plain place name.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 London parishes London 1
2 Lenton, Radford, Papplewick, Nuthall, Greasley, Brewhouse Yard Nottinghamshire
3 London parishes London 3
4 Alverstoke, Gosport, Rowner Hampshire
5 Portsmouth, Portsea Hampshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Flintshire 016 Flintshire
2 Kingston upon Hull 002 Kingston upon Hull, City of
3 Hastings 009 Hastings
4 Sevenoaks 009 Sevenoaks
5 Arun 004 Arun

Forenames

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First names often paired with Wolfe

These lists show first names that appear often with the Wolfe surname in historical and recent records.

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Wolfe

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Wolfe, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.

These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.

The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.

UK neighbourhood type

UK Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities

Group

Rural Amenity

Nationally, the Wolfe surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Rural Amenity, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Wolfe household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

This Group comprises older parents or retirees, with no resident dependent children, and with the lowest residential densities in this Supergroup. Predominantly UK-born, residents typically live in detached houses, although others do live in semi-detached and terraced properties. The level of multiple car ownership is the highest in this Supergroup. Most houses are owner occupied although social renting is also present. Many concentrations occur in high amenity rural locations, such as Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Wider pattern

Pervasive throughout the UK, members of this Supergroup typically own (or are buying) their detached, semi-detached or terraced homes. They are also typically educated to A Level/Highers or degree level and work in skilled or professional occupations. Typically born in the UK, some families have children, although the median adult age is above 45 and some property has become under-occupied after children have left home. This Supergroup is pervasive not only in suburban locations, but also in neighbourhoods at or beyond the edge of cities that adjoin rural parts of the country.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

The Greater London Mix

Group

Skilled Trades and Construction Workers

Within London, Wolfe is most associated with areas classed as Skilled Trades and Construction Workers, part of The Greater London Mix. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

Read profile summary

Group profile

These scattered, peripheral and often low residential density neighbourhoods house more workers in skilled trades and construction. Few households rent social housing and there are few students. Multiple car ownership is higher than the Supergroup average, perhaps because of poorer public transport connectivity. Incidence of mixed or multiple ethnicity is below the Supergroup average, and the absence of individuals identifying as Pakistani or Other Asian groups is also less pronounced. Flatted accommodation is less dominant than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

Wider London pattern

A Supergroup embodying London's diversity in many respects, apart from low numbers of residents identifying as of Bangladeshi, Indian, Pakistani or Other (non-Chinese) Asian ethnicity. There is lower than average prevalence of families with dependent children, while there are above average occurrences of never-married individuals and single-person households. The age distribution is skewed towards younger, single residents and couples without children, with many individuals identifying as of mixed or multiple ethnicity. Social rented or private rented housing is slightly more prevalent than average, and many residents live in flats. Individuals typically work in professional and associated roles in public administration, education or health rather than in elementary occupations in agriculture, energy, water, construction or manufacturing. Incidence of students is slightly below average. Individuals declaring no religion are more prevalent than average and non-use of English at home is below average.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Wolfe is most concentrated in decile 10 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the healthier end of the index.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

10
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Wolfe falls in decile 10 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the less deprived end of the index.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

10
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Wolfe is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 30-40 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

6
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Wolfe, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Wolfe

The surname Wolfe is of Anglo-Saxon origin and derives from the Old English word "wulf" meaning wolf. It is believed to have originated as a nickname for someone who exhibited wolf-like characteristics or lived near an area frequented by wolves.

The name can be traced back to the 11th century in England, with records showing it appearing in the Domesday Book of 1086, a survey of land and property carried out by William the Conqueror after the Norman invasion.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name is found in the Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire in 1175, where a man named Alanus Lupus (Latin for "wolf") is mentioned. This suggests that the name may have been influenced by the Norman-French word "loup" which also means wolf.

In the 13th century, the name appears in various spellings such as Wulf, Wolff, and Wolfe, indicating the development of the modern form. The surname is also found in place names like Woolfe Green in Buckinghamshire and Wolfeley in Shropshire, further indicating its widespread use.

Notable individuals with the surname Wolfe include John Wolfe (c. 1537-1601), an English Protestant writer and controversialist; James Wolfe (1727-1759), a British Army officer known for his victory over the French in the Battle of the Plains of Abraham during the Seven Years' War; and Thomas Clayton Wolfe (1900-1938), an American novelist best known for his novel "Look Homeward, Angel".

Other notable figures with the surname include Michael Wolff (born 1953), an American author and journalist; Christian Wolff (1679-1754), a German philosopher and mathematician; and Elsie de Wolfe (1865-1950), an American actress and interior decorator credited with popularizing a modern, informal style of interior design.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Wolfe families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Wolfe surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.

Top counties

Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Middlesex leads with 224 Wolfes recorded in 1881 and an index of 1.47x.

County Total Index
Middlesex 224 1.47x
Kent 159 3.06x
Lancashire 159 0.88x
Hampshire 110 3.53x
Cambridgeshire 100 10.38x
Staffordshire 76 1.48x
Warwickshire 70 1.82x
Nottinghamshire 67 3.27x
Somerset 64 2.61x
Surrey 58 0.78x
Essex 49 1.63x
Cheshire 40 1.19x
Durham 37 0.82x
Lincolnshire 36 1.48x
Yorkshire 36 0.24x
Suffolk 33 1.78x
Glamorgan 30 1.13x
Leicestershire 27 1.60x
Gloucestershire 24 0.80x
Hertfordshire 21 2.00x
Northumberland 16 0.71x
Lanarkshire 15 0.30x
Northamptonshire 15 1.05x
Devon 14 0.44x
Midlothian 10 0.49x
Sussex 8 0.31x
Worcestershire 8 0.40x
Ayrshire 7 0.61x
Derbyshire 7 0.29x
Monmouthshire 7 0.64x
Wiltshire 6 0.45x
Brecknockshire 5 1.64x
Kincardineshire 4 2.16x
Renfrewshire 4 0.34x
Cornwall 3 0.17x
Berkshire 2 0.18x
Shropshire 2 0.15x
Angus 1 0.07x
Buckinghamshire 1 0.11x
Cardiganshire 1 0.27x
Flintshire 1 0.24x
Herefordshire 1 0.16x
Huntingdonshire 1 0.33x
Royal Navy 1 0.55x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Nottingham St Mary in Nottinghamshire leads with 49 Wolfes recorded in 1881 and an index of 9.24x.

Place Total Index
Nottingham St Mary 49 9.24x
Portsea 32 5.23x
Walcot 28 21.46x
Wrotham 27 156.98x
Alverstoke 26 23.03x
Stoke Upon Trent 26 4.77x
Hillmorton 25 365.50x
Kensington London 25 2.95x
Bishopwearmouth 23 5.92x
Islington London 23 1.56x
St Andrewthe Less 23 20.89x
Leiston 20 157.11x
St Pancras London 18 1.47x
Chelsea London 17 3.71x
Shoreditch London 17 2.58x
Little Bolton 16 6.89x
West Ham 16 2.41x
Paddington London 15 2.68x
Brinnington 14 44.61x
Cardiff St Mary 14 9.59x
Cheetham 14 10.40x
Milton 14 486.11x
Barony 13 1.04x
Leeds 13 1.53x
St Marylebone London 13 1.60x
St Peter Cambridge 13 401.23x
Toxteth Park 13 2.13x
Birmingham 12 0.94x
Liverpool 12 1.09x
Newton In Makerfield 12 21.70x
St George Bloomsbury 12 13.74x
Tonbridge 12 6.41x
Anstey 11 164.92x
Aston 11 1.04x
Burntwood Edial 11 33.53x
Great Grimsby 11 7.12x
Little Wymondley 11 523.81x
Plumstead 11 6.36x
Ardleigh 10 120.05x
Claughton With Grange 10 65.36x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 10 1.22x
Histon 10 198.02x
Hornchurch 10 67.89x
Hornsey 10 5.20x
Kilsby 10 320.51x
Layton With Warbreck 10 15.09x
Louth 10 17.93x
Lydd 10 89.93x
Caverswall 9 33.71x
Everton 9 1.56x
Kingston On Thames 9 5.05x
Meopham 9 140.19x
St George Hanover 9 4.53x
Walsall Borough 9 22.57x
West Derby 9 1.70x
Bath St Michael 8 64.62x
Bradford 8 2.19x
Lyndhurst 8 93.68x
Monckton Combe 8 102.17x
Rugby 8 15.41x
Southampton St Mary 8 4.08x
Bourn 7 35.62x
Broughton In Salford 7 4.24x
Elswick 7 3.87x
Hackney London 7 0.82x
Keston 7 181.35x
Kirkdale 7 2.30x
Monks Coppenhall 7 5.52x
Newstead 7 138.89x
Rampton 7 578.51x
Ryde 7 10.45x
Sevenoaks 7 16.63x
Swansea Lower 7 51.81x
Fulham London 6 2.72x
Heaton Norris 6 5.84x
Hendon 6 10.96x
Holy Trinity Cambridge 6 57.36x
Impington 6 289.86x
Nuneaton 6 13.50x
Thornaby 6 10.65x

Top female names

These are the female first names most often recorded with the Wolfe surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
Mary 99
Elizabeth 56
Sarah 54
Eliza 29
Jane 28
Annie 25
Emma 22
Edith 18
Ellen 18
Emily 17
Margaret 16
Ann 14
Florence 14
Harriet 13
Charlotte 12
Fanny 12
Louisa 12
Ada 11
Catherine 11
Martha 11
Alice 10
Hannah 10
Maria 10
Caroline 9
Kate 8
Isabella 7
Julia 7
Minnie 7
Susan 7
Clara 6
Sophia 6
Agnes 5
Amy 5
Anne 5
Gertrude 5
Harriett 5
Amelia 4
Beatrice 4
Eleanor 4
Elizth. 4
Frances 4
Jessie 4
Ruth 4
Esther 3
Ethel 3
Henrietta 3
Lucy 3
Mabel 3
Rebecca 3
Rosa 3

Top male names

These are the male first names most often recorded with the Wolfe surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
John 88
William 71
George 51
Thomas 50
Henry 44
James 44
Joseph 23
Samuel 22
Charles 21
Frederick 21
Albert 17
Arthur 16
Walter 16
Richard 15
Robert 14
Alfred 12
Edward 12
Harry 11
Abraham 8
Frank 8
Ernest 7
Francis 5
Herbert 5
Benjamin 4
Edwin 4
Godfrey 4
Isaac 4
Jacob 4
Fred 3
Louis 3
Richd. 3
Wm. 3
... 2
Ambrose 2
Cornelius 2
Daniel 2
Elijah 2
Fredk. 2
Harold 2
Himan 2
Lewis 2
Lionel 2
Nicholas 2
Oliver 2
Percey 2
Peter 2
Robt. 2
Simon 2
Solomon 2
Thos. 2

FAQ

Wolfe surname: questions and answers

How common was the Wolfe surname in 1881?

In 1881, 1,559 people were recorded with the Wolfe surname. That placed it at #2,709 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Wolfe surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 2,263 in 2016. That gives Wolfe a modern rank of #2,867.

What does the Wolfe surname mean?

An English surname derived from the animal, likely referring to a person with wolf-like characteristics or a wolf hunter.

What does the Wolfe map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Wolfe bearers relative to the surrounding population.

What records is this surname page based on?

The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.