Wilde
Usually a nickname for someone seen as “wild” or untamed, though in some cases it may point to a place-name meaning “forest” or “wilderness.”
The #3,332 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 28,678 Americans shares it.
Etymology
This surname is most commonly traced to Old English wilde, meaning “wild,” “untamed,” or “uncultivated.” It was often used as a nickname for a person thought to be rough, unruly, or free-spirited, and medieval records show forms such as le Wilde and la Wilde. Some sources also note a possible locational sense from Old English weald, meaning “woodland” or “forest,” so a few early bearers may have taken the name from where they lived rather than from a personal characteristic.
History
The name appears very early in English records, and one source notes a Domesday-era bearer, Ulric Wilde, suggesting deep medieval roots. It occurs in 12th- and 13th-century documents in forms such as Walter le Wilde and Emma la Wilde, and later became established as a hereditary surname. Bardsley remarks that it was especially common as a sobriquet in Yorkshire, which fits its long English distribution.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Shakespeare’s use of “wild” as a descriptive surname made names like Wilde especially vivid and memorable in English literature and records.
From the historical record
“Mr. Gardener can't tell a flower from a root, Mr. Wilde with timidity draws back, Mr. Ryder performs all his journeys on foot, Mr. Foote all his journeys on horseback. Mr. Penny, whose father was rolling in wealth,”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)