Surname Wilds - Meaning and Origin
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Wilds: What does the surname Wilds mean?
The last name Wilds is a surname that is of English origin. It is derived from an occupational name for someone who worked as a hunter or was good at hunting wild animals such as deer or boar. This name is derived from the Old English "wil-deor" which meant "wild animal."
Variations of the name may include Wildes, Wilde, Wild, and Wilder. It may also be a variant of the Germanic surname Wilden. This name could possibly be derived from a place name as well.
The Wilds family blazon is a cross potent between four talbots. A family crest or coat of arms may be associated with this surname.
Today, the Wilds surname is common in England, Scotland, Ireland and across North America. There are several notable people who have this last name including James Wilds, Jr., an American professional basketball player, and Vernon Wilds, a former American professional football player in the National Football League.
The surname Wilds conveys a sense of unpredictableness, playfulness, and wildness, conveying the basic meaning of the name.
Order DNA origin analysisWilds: Where does the name Wilds come from?
The surname Wilds is believed to have originated in the United Kingdom and is most commonly found today in Scotland, Ireland, Wales, England and Canada. Records show that the surname is found most frequently in the United States and Canada.
The Wilds surname usually derives from a nickname. In the early days it would have been a descriptive name for someone with an untamed wildness – describing a person who was passionate, tempestuous or unpredictable.
The Wilds family can be traced back to ancient Celtic heritage. The surname is a frequent occurrence on the Isle of Man, which was under Viking rule in the ninth century. It is believed to be a derivative of the Celtic surname which means “son of the wild one”.
The Wilds family has an impressive history in the United States and Canada. In 1652, Thomas Wilds was the first of the Wilds family recorded in the US Census, living in Charles Parish, York, Virginia. Throughout the 17th and 18th centuries, they moved around the colonies.
Canada has a strong presence of the Wilds family which can be traced back to the 1800s. In 1819 the first immigrants, Alexander and Janet Wilds, settled in Nova Scotia, moving to Canada from Scotland.
Today the Wilds name is still a popular one in the United States and Scotland, and is also found in Ireland, Wales, England and Canada.
Variations of the surname Wilds
The surname Wilds is derived from two different sources, namely the Old English and Old French languages. With regards to the Old English, variants of this surname include Wild, Wilde, and Wylde. The Old French variants include Wilz, Wilzs, and Velds.
The origin of the Wilds surname is believed to be a topographical nickname for someone who lived near or worked in a patch of wild or uncultivated land. It may also be derived from an Old English personal name, Wïllelde or Wildelde, which was composed of two elements "wil(d)" meaning "willow" and "elda" meaning "elder". This would make the name mean "Elder Tree".
The Wilds surname is also commonly found within Ireland as Velds, and sometimes as Veiles or Veeles, most likely derived from the French surname Wilz.
Spellings of the Wilds surname also include Wild, Wyld, Wield, Vields, Vild, Wilde, Weld, Wildes, Wilde'.
The Wilds surname can also be found in a variety of forms beyond the English and French variants, such as: the Italian variant Wildi, the German Wildfang, Wildschutz, Wildehagen and Wildhagen, and the Dutch Wilssen.
With so many different variations of the Wilds surname available, it is important to research all the possible variants in order to further discover the remarkable history of the name.
Famous people with the name Wilds
- Michael Wilds- American actor best known for his roles on the ABC and NBC soap operas Loving and One Life to Live, respectively.
- Adrienne Wilid- American R&B and soul singer-songwriter, best known for her platinum-selling 1998 hit “No One Can Love You Like I Do”.
- Hayley Wilds– British YouTube star and actress, best known for her channel WildsVlogs, where she documents beauty and lifestyle tips and trends.
- August Wilds– Norwegian violinist and composer, a member of the family band Boygenius.
- Ryan Wilds– British actor, primarily known for his appearances on medical dramas and comedies such as Doc Martin and Holby City.
- William Wilds– English sportsman who turned professional in field hockey and cricket in 1885 when he joined the Rosslyn Park and Middlesex club sides.
- Sam Wilds– Rapper from West London, England who is associated with the rap collective Wouh.
- Mozelle Wilds– American singer and songwriter whose works reach back to the 1950s.
- Urban Wilds– Icelandic pop and dance singer, whose 2005 album Fairytale landed him a Juno Award nomination.
- Robert Wilds– English artist and cartoonist, whose artwork is found in various British newspapers and magazines.