The Wold surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 5,631 people carried this name — #6,091 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 52,400 people counted. That is up 1% from 5,555 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Wold surname

As a Norwegian surname, spelling variant of Vold, Voll.

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Wold» (English), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.

As an English and Welsh surname

Bardsley classes it as a local name, from where the family lived: ‘at the weld’.

An early record he cites: Willelmus del Weld, 1379 — Poll Tax, West Riding of Yorkshire.

His entry covers Weld, Welde and Wold.

From Charles W. Bardsley, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with Special American Instances (London: Henry Frowde, 1901), p. 800 · public domain.

In the Nordic population registers

3,376 people named Wold are counted in Norway and Sweden.

Sweden’s figure is from 31 December 2022, the last count Statistics Sweden published. Norway publishes only surnames with 200 or more bearers.

Counted, by country

Norway (2025) 3,274
Sweden (2022) 102

Own calculations based on data from Statistics Sweden (SCB), surnames with at least two bearers, 31 December 2022 — CC BY 4.0 (names with 20 or more bearers shown) · Statistics Norway (SSB, ssb.no), table 12891, 2025 — CC BY 4.0.

In print

Wold in American newspapers,
1885–1918.

Newspaper page from Seattle Daily Post-intelligencer carrying the name Wold
Seattle Daily Post-intelligencer 1885-09-11
Newspaper page from Decorah-posten Og Ved Arnen carrying the name Wold
Decorah-posten Og Ved Arnen 1912-11-26
Newspaper page from Decorah Public Opinion carrying the name Wold
Decorah Public Opinion 1918-09-11

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain.

In print

Wold in Australian newspapers,
1830s–1970s.

2,030 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Wold. The most, 371, date from the 1870s. New South Wales has the most articles, but weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, the name stands out most in Tasmania, at 2.2 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 492
Queensland 383
Victoria 333
Tasmania 295
Western Australia 284
South Australia 231
ACT (Canberra) 9

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Wold.

Who carried it

People named Wold,
with a public archive behind them.

  • John Wold
    John Wold 1870–1951 · farmer
  • Emma Wold
    Emma Wold 1873–1950 · lawyer
  • Ragnhild Bersvendsdatter Wold 1770–1845
  • John Johnsen Wold 1795–1889 · farmer
  • Elling Wold 1844–1922 · farmer
  • Ovidia Aas 1860– · writer

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0 · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Wold,
in the records of 7 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States596 records

596 records of the Wold name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 176
  • U.S. alien registration index, 1940–1955 116
  • Other U.S. records 304
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record John T. Wold

    Born 1918 in South Dakota. Enlisted 1941 at Fort Snelling, Minnesota; driver. U.S. Air Force veteran of World War II; died 1996, buried at East Hendricks Cemetery, Minnesota.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Annette Wold

    Arrived at New York in 1890 aboard the Westernland from Antwerp, aged 22; seamstress. From Wilkesbarre, Germany; bound for New York.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)
  3. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Bruce Lloyd Wold

    Born 1946; from Minot, North Dakota. U.S. Army, cannon crewmember; died of wounds 1970 in Binh Duong, South Vietnam.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain)

Showing 3 of 596 records for Wold in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain).

Norway1,249 records

1,249 records of the Wold name in Norway Norway's 1910 census
  1. A page of the 1910 United States census, Milwaukee
    Example: U.S. census, 1910
    Census record Johan Wold

    Census of 1910: Aasan Øvre, Meraker; shop assistant, born 1894 in Meraker.

    Arkivverket, Digitalarkivet, 1910 census (CC BY 3.0 NO)
  2. A page of the 1910 United States census, Milwaukee
    Example: U.S. census, 1910
    Census record Julianna Wold

    Census of 1910: Vor Frue Stræde, Trondhjem; washerwoman, born 1842 in Jøssund herr.

    Arkivverket, Digitalarkivet, 1910 census (CC BY 3.0 NO)
  3. A page of the 1910 United States census, Milwaukee
    Example: U.S. census, 1910
    Census record Eilert Wold

    Census of 1910: Gomalandet, Kristiansund; "bødker", born 1881 in Kristiansund.

    Arkivverket, Digitalarkivet, 1910 census (CC BY 3.0 NO)

Showing 3 of 1,249 records for Wold in Norway.

Counts: Arkivverket, Digitalarkivet, 1910 census (CC BY 3.0 NO). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. census of 1910, Milwaukee (public domain).

Netherlands529 records

529 records of the Wold name in the Netherlands
  • Dutch civil registers (births, marriages, deaths) 413
  • Dutch population registers 113
  • Dutch church registers before 1811 3
  1. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Pieter Rembts Wold

    Married in 1850 in Delfzijl; day labourer, born 1821 in Farmsum. Died 1901 in Farmsum (Delfzijl), aged 79.

    Open Archives, Groninger Archieven (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Albert Wold

    Married in 1864 in Roden; labourer. Died 1903 in Foxwolde (Roden), aged 72.

    Open Archives, Drents Archief (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the 1910 United States census, Milwaukee
    Example: U.S. census, 1910
    Population register Hillegchien Louisa Wold

    In the population register of Goes; born 1854 in Zwolle.

    Open Archives, Gemeentearchief Goes (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 529 records for Wold in the Netherlands.

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain); U.S. census of 1910, Milwaukee (public domain).

Australia16 records

16 records of the Wold name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 13
  • Victoria wills and probate, deaths to 2001 2
  • Queensland State Archives indexes 1
  1. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Eric Frank Wold

    Gentleman of Rosebud, Victoria; died 1987.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Ada Mary Wold

    Arrived in Victoria in 1869 aboard the Naval Reserve, aged 3.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Civil record Hermann Wold

    Naturalised in Queensland in 1874.

    Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 16 records for Wold in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

Germany11 records

11 records of the Wold name in Germany Germany's First World War casualty lists, 1914–1919
  1. A page of the German First World War casualty lists, 18 April 1918
    Example: German casualty list, 1918
    Casualty list Otto Wold

    From Konikow, Köslin. Reported wounded in the Prussian casualty list of 17 July 1916 (Infantry Regiment No. 79).

    Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0)
  2. A page of the German First World War casualty lists, 18 April 1918
    Example: German casualty list, 1918
    Casualty list Alfons Wold

    From Reichnau, Erstein. Reported dead in the Prussian casualty list of 2 November 1915 (Infantry Regiment No. 140).

    Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0)
  3. A page of the German First World War casualty lists, 18 April 1918
    Example: German casualty list, 1918
    Casualty list Martin Wold

    From Bühlertal. Reported dead in the Prussian casualty list of 21 August 1918.

    Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0)

Showing 3 of 11 records for Wold in Germany.

Counts: Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Deutsche Verlustlisten, Prussian list 1116, 18 April 1918 (scan via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0).

Canada8 records

8 records of the Wold name in Canada
  • City of Winnipeg cemetery records 5
  • City of Calgary cemetery records 1
  • Other Canadian records 2
  1. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Elsie Margaret Wold

    Died 1993; buried at Brookside Cemetery, Winnipeg, Manitoba.

    City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg.
  2. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Ludwig Johan Wold

    Died 1942 in Cumberland, Nova Scotia.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.
  3. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record John Wold

    Died 1919; buried at Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver, British Columbia.

    City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver.

Showing 3 of 8 records for Wold in Canada.

Counts: City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. · City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

United Kingdom1 record

1 record of the Wold name in the United Kingdom War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead
  1. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record W. Wold

    Lance Corporal, Shropshire Light Infantry. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1917.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)

Counts: National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Wold.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Wold is.
A volume says what happened to it.

Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.

See the Wold volume
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