boys' name ★ peaked 2021

Wolf

Meaning A surname transferred from the given name Gender Boy Rank 2025 #1,902 Trend → Stable

A surname transferred from the given name.

Rank 2025
#1,902
among boys · ↓83 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
83
named Wolf · -8% vs 2024
How common
1 in 20,579
boys born in 2025
Peak year
2021
107 babies
All-time total
1,658
#3,709 all-time among boys
First recorded
1912
in Social Security records

Wolf popularity over time

1,658 babies have been named Wolf since 1912, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
0.020.040.060.0818801900192019401960198020002020Peak 2021Boys

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Boys Per year Change Best rank
1880s – – – –
1890s – – – –
1900s – – – –
1910s 5 1 – #2,900
1920s – – – –
1930s – – – –
1940s – – – –
1950s 60 6 – #1,895
1960s 42 4 -30% #2,207
1970s 64 6 +52% #3,514
1980s 48 5 -25% #4,232
1990s 127 13 +165% #3,187
2000s 204 20 +61% #3,778
2010s 555 56 +172% #1,788
2020s (to 2025) 553 92 +66% #1,605

Where Wolf is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 boys (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 boys Implied rank
2026 84 0.05 outside top 500
2027 85 0.05 outside top 500
2028 85 0.05 outside top 500
2029 86 0.05 outside top 500
2030 86 0.05 outside top 500

Where Wolf is most popular

Boys named Wolf per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.055 per 1,000. Strongest in New York, California, and Florida.

Vs national average
well below below near national above well above no data

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are boys named Wolf born 2021–2025; the per-1,000 rate makes states of different sizes comparable, and the last column shows each state against the national average.

State Boys 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
New York 63 0.146 +167%
California 94 0.103 +89%
Florida 35 0.074 +36%
Massachusetts 10 0.073 +33%
New Jersey 10 0.050 -9%
Texas 34 0.039 -29%
Alaska – – –
Alabama – – –
Arkansas – – –
Arizona – – –
Colorado – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Georgia – – –
Hawaii – – –
Iowa – – –
Idaho – – –
Illinois – – –
Indiana – – –
Kansas – – –
Kentucky – – –
Louisiana – – –
Maryland – – –
Maine – – –
Michigan – – –
Minnesota – – –
Missouri – – –
Mississippi – – –
Montana – – –
North Carolina – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
Ohio – – –
Oklahoma – – –
Oregon – – –
Pennsylvania – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Carolina – – –
South Dakota – – –
Tennessee – – –
Utah – – –
Virginia – – –
Vermont – – –
Washington – – –
Wisconsin – – –
West Virginia – – –
Wyoming – – –

State counts come from the Social Security Administration's state files, which omit any state-year with fewer than five babies of a name, so small states can undercount slightly.

The story of Wolf

Wolf is rare for boys in the United States, ranked #1,902 in 2025 with 83 babies given the name. It is currently rising compared with a decade ago.

Since 1912, 1,658 American babies have been named Wolf. Its peak came in 2021, when 107 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 2020s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Wolf stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Wolf?

The median living Wolf is about 9 years old; half are between 4 and 20. An estimated 1,600 people named Wolf are alive in the United States today.

median 9 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Wolf year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Boys Boys rank
2025 83 #1,902
2024 90 #1,819
2023 91 #1,785
2022 100 #1,703
2021 107 #1,605
2020 82 #1,829
2019 87 #1,788
2018 83 #1,836
2017 75 #1,933
2016 67 #2,109
2015 61 #2,231
2014 50 #2,514
2013 53 #2,399
2012 24 #4,242
2011 26 #3,983
2010 29 #3,706
2009 28 #3,825
2008 25 #4,137
2007 23 #4,366
2006 27 #3,778
2005 15 #5,565
2004 14 #5,800
2003 21 #4,107
2002 14 #5,386
2001 19 #4,299
2000 18 #4,381
1995 15 #4,269
1990 9 #5,804
1985 – –
1980 – –
1975 8 #4,302
1970 9 #3,514
1965 – –
1960 15 #2,207
1955 – –
1950 5 #4,184
1945 – –
1940 – –
1935 – –
1930 – –
1925 – –
1920 – –
1915 – –
1910 – –
1905 – –
1900 – –
1895 – –
1890 – –
1885 – –
1880 – –

Famous people named Wolf

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 Wolf Blitzer Wolf Blitzer American journalist and television news anchor (born 1948) Contemporary
  2. 2 Wolf Messing Wolf Messing Russian telepathist, hypnotist, occultist (1899–1974) 19th century
  3. 3 Wolf Biermann Wolf Biermann German singer-songwriter (born 1936) Contemporary
  4. 4 Wolf Vostell Wolf Vostell German artist (1932–1998) Contemporary
  5. 5 Wolf Haas Wolf Haas Austrian writer (born 1960) Contemporary
  6. 6 Wolf Huber Wolf Huber Austro-German painter, printmaker and architect 1485–1553 · Medieval

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Wolf, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Wolf?

The median living Wolf is about 9 years old. Half of all living Wolfs are between 4 and 20 years old.

How many people named Wolf are alive today?

An estimated 1,600 people named Wolf are alive in the United States, based on 1,658 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Wolf mean?

A surname transferred from the given name.

How popular is the name Wolf in 2025?

Wolf ranked #1,902 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 83 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Wolf?

1,658 babies have been named Wolf in the United States since 1912, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Wolf most popular?

Wolf peaked in 2021, when 107 newborns received the name.

Is Wolf a boy or girl name?

Wolf is overwhelmingly a boy's name: 100% of babies with the name.

Is the name Wolf rising or falling?

Wolf is on the rise, noticeably more popular now than a decade ago.

Will Wolf become more popular?

Wolf looks stable. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 86 boys named Wolf in 2030, ranking outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Wolf?

Well-known people named Wolf include Wolf Blitzer (writer), Wolf Messing (religious figure), Wolf Biermann (singer).

Names like Wolf

Names that sound and feel close to Wolf: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Wolf with similar names → More names starting with W →