Woolfolk
An English surname probably from an old Germanic personal name, later reshaped in spelling by folk-etymology.
The #9,827 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 93,701 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The surname appears to go back to an old Germanic personal name recorded in medieval sources, such as forms like Wulfico or similar. The modern spelling Woolfolk likely reflects later English reshaping, making the name look as if it contained the common word "folk." In other words, it is probably not literally "wool" + "folk," but a surname that was adapted over time to an English-looking form.
History
19th-century surname writers linked Woolfolk with medieval Germanic names and treated it as related to English Woolsey-type forms. In the United States it is best known as a relatively uncommon family name, especially in the South. The spelling with -folk is well established in English records, even if its original form was different.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Older surname dictionaries often grouped Woolfolk with other names that were spelled in ways that made them look like ordinary English words, even when their real origin was older and Germanic.
From the historical record
“Troup, Many (1665), Chapp, Person, Persons, Pro- vince, Thing, Jury. Miss Jades was married in Boston, October, 1859. Mr. Woolfolk is a graduate of Yale. Sir M. B. Folkes was a member of Parlia- ment in 1805. The names of States, and of Coloney or Colony, are common in New England ; as is also that of Voter. Mr.…”
— Suffolk Surnames (3rd ed.)