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Wild Family History

Wild Surname Meaning

English: from Middle English wilde ‘wild violent’ (Old English wilde) hence a nickname for a man of violent and undisciplined character or a topographic name for someone who lived on a patch of overgrown uncultivated land (from Middle English wilde (noun) ‘wild place wasteland’).

English: variant of Wile with excrescent -d.

German and Jewish (Ashkenazic): cognate of 1 above from Middle High German wilde, wilt, German wild ‘wild’ also used in the sense ‘strange foreign’ and therefore in some cases a nickname for an incomer.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022


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Where is the Wild family from?

You can see how Wild families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Wild family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Wild families were found in United Kingdom in 1891. In 1891 there were 4,904 Wild families living in Lancashire. This was about 42% of all the recorded Wild's in United Kingdom. Lancashire had the highest population of Wild families in 1891.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Wild surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.
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What did your Wild ancestors do for a living?

In 1939, General Labourer and Unpaid Domestic Duties were the top reported jobs for men and women in the United Kingdom named Wild. 9% of Wild men worked as a General Labourer and 66% of Wild women worked as an Unpaid Domestic Duties. Some less common occupations for Americans named Wild were Retired and Private Means.

View Census Data for Wild | Data not to scale

*We display top occupations by gender to maintain their historical accuracy during times when men and women often performed different jobs.

Top Male Occupations In 1939

  • General Labourer
    9%
  • Incapacitated
    3%
  • Cotton Spinner
    3%
  • Retired
    3%

Top Female Occupations In 1939

  • Unpaid Domestic Duties
    66%
  • Unpaid Domestic
    3%
  • Housewife
    2%
  • Private Means
    2%

What Wild family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 237,000 census records available for the last name Wild. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Wild census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search UK census records for Wild

Passenger Lists

There are 27,000 immigration records available for the last name Wild. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in the UK, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

View all Wild immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 36,000 military records available for the last name Wild. For the veterans among your Wild ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Wild military records

You've only scratched the surface of Wild family history

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What is the average Wild lifespan?

Between 1940 and 2004, in the United States, Wild life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1959, and highest in 1996. The average life expectancy for Wild in 1940 was 59, and 77 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Wild

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Wild ancestors lived in harsh conditions. A short lifespan might also indicate health problems that were once prevalent in your family. The SSDI is a searchable database of more than 70 million names. You can find birthdates, death dates, addresses and more.

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