Wildman
A straightforward nickname surname meaning “wild man,” or in some cases a way of describing someone as untamed or rustic.
The #7,151 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 65,999 Americans shares it.
Etymology
This surname is formed from the English word wild plus man, and was originally a nickname rather than a literal description of a person. The historical sources given also point to the same basic sense: “wild man,” sometimes understood as a rough, uncultured, or untamed person. One older source suggests some bearers may have had a broader rustic or foreign association, but the simplest and best-supported explanation is the nickname form.
History
The name appears in English records by at least the medieval and early modern period, and later turns up in parish and civil records in places such as London and the north of England. Like other nickname surnames, it could arise independently in more than one family. It has remained relatively uncommon but is well established in English-speaking countries.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
An older surname handbook explicitly glosses Wildman as essentially the familiar nickname Wild with an added “-man,” much like Merry and Merriman.
From the historical record
“Wildish-meu." — Lower, Eng. Surn., i. 57. WILDMAN = Wild (q.v.) -|- man. WILDS, Wild's (Son): v. Wild'. WILDSMITH (Eng.) Weald-Smith [v. Wild" and Smith] Wildy”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)