WILD
Wild is a surname of both English and German origin, frequently encountered within the British Isles and particularly within England. According to historical records, the name carries a distinctly Christian background, being associated with early Christian communities on the island.
In English, Wild derives from the Middle English word wilde, meaning untamed or uncontrolled. It was likely employed as a nickname for a person with a wild or unruly temperament. Early forms of the surname include Wild, Wilde, Whilde, Wylde, Wyldes, Weald, Weild, Weld, Welds, Wyeld, and Wield, among others. The earliest recorded instance appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, where a person named Ulricus Wilde is listed in Lincolnshire under the reign of King William I.
In German, the surname is likewise sourced from the word wild, which carries the meaning of wild or savage. It may have been used to describe someone who resided in a wild or uncultivated area, or more broadly, someone living outside the bounds of settled cultivation.
The name also has a residential origin. In medieval England it was recorded for individuals who lived near a place called Wild, Wylde or Wilde, or in an area of sparsely cultivated land known as a weald. Such lands were used primarily for grazing and formed part of the local common grazing rights. Examples of early records include William le Wilde in the 1177 Pipe Rolls of Leicestershire, Henry le Wylde in the 1236 Court Rolls of Essex, and William de Wilde in the 1200 Pipe Rolls of Sussex. Other later spellings appear in parish registers, such as John Wyeld, christened in 1610 at St. Olave, Old Jewry, and Sarah Wield, who married William Atkins in 1763 at St. George’s, Botolph Lane.
The surname Wild therefore typically denotes either a person of a high-spirited or over-boisterous character, or the house that once stood in a walled, uncultivated stretch of land. These dual origins result in a name that has remained common in England while preserving its historical roots in both English and German linguistic traditions.
Typical given names associated with the Wild surname
Male
- Andrew
- Christopher
- David
- James
- John
- Mark
- Michael
- Peter
- Richard
- Stephen
Female
- Carol
- Christine
- Elizabeth
- Emma
- Helen
- Jean
- Julie
- Karen
- Margaret
- Mary
- Sarah
- Susan
Similar and related surnames
Related and similar names are generated algorithmically based on the spelling, and may not necessarily share an etymology.
How to communicate the surname Wild in...
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There are approximately 15,139 people named Wild in the UK. That makes it the 583rd most common surname in Britain. Around 232 in a million people in Britain are named Wild.
Origin: English
Region of origin: British Isles
Country of origin: England
Religion of origin: Christian
Language of origin: English
Famous people named Wild
- Jack Wild - Actor (1952 to 2006)
- Jonathan Wild - 18th century English criminal (1683 to 1725)
- Frank Wild - Antarctica explorer (1873 to 1939)
- Wolfgang Wild - Blogger
- Stephen Wild - Rugby league player
- Noel Wild - Army colonel (1903 to 1)
- John J. Wild - American inventor (1914 to 2009)
- Richard Wild - Cricketer
- Harold Wild - Cricketer (1891 to 1977)
- Susie Wild - Writer
- Ernest Wild - Explorer (1879 to 1918)
- William Wild - Cricketer (1846 to 1891)
- Tom Wild - Cricketer (1855 to 1921)
Names and descriptions courtesy of Wikipedia, and may contain errors. This is not intended to be an exhaustive list of every famous person with this name.