The Wolf surname is derived from the baptismal name for the son of Wolfgang, a popular personal name in Germany during medieval times. This personal name was originally derived from the Old German "wolf" which meant "wolf" and "ganc" meaning "battle."

Early Origins of the Wolf family

The surname Wolf was first found in the Rhineland, where the name emerged in mediaeval times as one of the notable families of the region. From the 13th century on the surname spread to nearly all parts of Germany, and was identified with the great social and economic evolution that contributed to the development of the nation. Chronicles mention Nivelung Wolf of Cologne as early as 1135, and Elbel Wolf of Bruenn in Moravia in 1365, showing the gradual eastward movement of the branches.

Early History of the Wolf family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Wolf research. Another 209 words (15 lines of text) covering the years 1790, 1856, 1786, 1573, 1491, 1499, 1498, 1499, 1527, 1679, 1754, 1683, 1739, 1759 and 1824 are included under the topic Early Wolf History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Wolf Spelling Variations

One can encounter great variation in the spelling of surnames: in early times, spelling in general, and thus the spelling of names was not yet standardized; and later, spellings would change with branching and movement of families. Variations of the name Wolf include Wolf, Wolff, Wolfen, Wolfe, Wulf and others.

In the United States, the name Wolf is the 524th most popular surname with an estimated 54,714 people with that name.

 (1727 - bef. 1785)

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