The Woolf surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 4,485 people carried this name — #7,426 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 65,800 people counted. That is up 3% from 4,346 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Woolf surname

As an English and Welsh surname

Bardsley classes it as a nickname: ‘the wolf’ — the first of the origins he gives.

An early record he cites: Roger Ulfe, temp. 1250 — Cartularium Abbathiae de Whiteby.

His entry covers Wolff, Wolf, Woolf, Woolfe, Wulff and Wulf.

From Charles W. Bardsley, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with Special American Instances (London: Henry Frowde, 1901), p. 821 · public domain.

In print

Woolf in American newspapers,
1908–1921.

Newspaper page from The Spokane Press carrying the name Woolf
The Spokane Press 1908-11-23
Newspaper page from The Laramie Republican carrying the name Woolf
The Laramie Republican 1918-05-18
Newspaper page from The Laramie Republican carrying the name Woolf
The Laramie Republican 1921-09-03

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 768 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Woolf in Australian newspapers,
1830s–1990s.

46,689 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Woolf. The most, 10,620, date from the 1890s. 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 Victoria, at 1.7 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 22,087
Victoria 18,387
Western Australia 2,625
Queensland 1,475
South Australia 1,408
Tasmania 600
ACT (Canberra) 92
Northern Territory 3

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

Who carried it

People named Woolf,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Anna Maria Smart
    Anna Maria Smart 1766–1813
  • Michael Angelo Woolf
    Michael Angelo Woolf 1837–1899 · actor
  • Michael Angelo Woolf
    Michael Angelo Woolf 1837–1899 · actor
  • Martin Woolf
    Martin Woolf 1858–1928 · politician
  • Bella Woolf
    Bella Woolf 1877–1960 · writer
  • Arthur Woolf 1766–1837 · inventor

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 Woolf,
in the records of 6 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 States867 records

867 records of the Woolf name in the United States
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 340
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 186
  • Other U.S. records 341
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Lynell A. Woolf

    Born 1923 in Indiana. Enlisted 1942 at Louisville, Kentucky; driver from Jennings County. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 2000, buried at Owensboro Memorial Gardens, Kentucky.

    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 Millie Woolf

    Arrived at New York in 1894 aboard the Britannic from Liverpool and Queenstown, aged 14; dressmaker. From Poland, Russia; 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 Dwight D. Woolf

    Born 1946; from Oran, Missouri. U.S. Army, utility helicopter repairer; died in an accident 1967 in South Vietnam.

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

Showing 3 of 867 records for Woolf in the United States.

Counts: NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · 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).

Australia533 records

533 records of the Woolf name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 385
  • Victoria wills and probate, deaths to 2001 79
  • Other Australian records 69
  1. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record James Woolf

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the William Miles, sailing from Downs in 1828. Native of Whitechapel, Middlesex. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1849.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (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 Joseph Woolf

    Arrived in Victoria in 1855 aboard the Lavinia, aged 25; British subject.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Charles Woolf

    Dealer of South Yarra, Victoria; died 1895.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 533 records for Woolf in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Prison-ship in Portsmouth Harbour, with the convicts going on board, etching by Edward William Cooke, 1829, Royal Museums Greenwich (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain).

Canada17 records

17 records of the Woolf name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 8
  • City of Calgary cemetery records 3
  • Other Canadian records 6
  1. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Floyd William Woolf

    Buried in 1981 at Queen's Park Cemetery, Calgary, Alberta, aged 82.

    City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary.
  2. A Canadian First World War grave register card for a soldier who died of wounds in 1917
    Example: Canadian war grave register, 1917
    War record Isadore Woolf

    Died in service in 1917.

    Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada.
  3. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Birth record Marie Adeline Woolf

    Born 1905 in Arichat, Richmond, Nova Scotia.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.

Showing 3 of 17 records for Woolf in Canada.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0); Canadian First World War circumstances-of-death register (scan by Scottgraham87 via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

United Kingdom11 records

11 records of the Woolf name in the United Kingdom
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 10
  • St James's burial ground, Euston (London), 1789–1853 1
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Gustavus Herman Woolf

    Buried in 1835 at St James's burial ground, Euston, London, aged 23.

    MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
  2. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record H. Woolf

    Royal Irish Rifles. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1918.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)
  3. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record M. Woolf

    South Wales Borderers. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1918.

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

Showing 3 of 11 records for Woolf in the United Kingdom.

Counts: National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0); C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0).

New Zealand8 records

8 records of the Woolf name in New Zealand
  • Christchurch City cemetery records 6
  • Marlborough District cemetery records 2
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Isaac Woolf

    Died 1943, aged 78; buried at Bromley Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Karen May Woolf

    Died 1957, aged 30; buried at Omaka Cemetery, Marlborough.

    Marlborough District Council (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Ivy Tuhiwi Woolf

    Died 1968, aged 75; buried at Bromley Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 8 records for Woolf in New Zealand.

Counts: Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0) · Marlborough District Council (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

Netherlands3 records

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

    Married in 1927 in Amsterdam.

    Open Archives, Noord-Hollands Archief (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Margareta Woolf

    Buried in 1762 in Venray.

    Open Archives, Gemeente Venray, gemeentearchief (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the 1910 United States census, Milwaukee
    Example: U.S. census, 1910
    Population register Sophia Woolf

    In the population register of Amsterdam; born 1841 in Londen.

    Open Archives, Stadsarchief Amsterdam (CC BY 4.0)

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); Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0); U.S. census of 1910, Milwaukee (public domain).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Woolf.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Woolf 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.

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