Surname Wolpaw - Meaning and Origin

Wolpaw: What does the surname Wolpaw mean?

The last name Wolpaw is a Jewish surname derived from the Yiddish word “Volpe”, meaning fox. It is believed to have originated with a signatory to legal documents in the late 16th century who had taken on an animal-themed nickname. The name is most common in Eastern Europe, particularly in Poland and Ukraine.

Wolpaw as a surname was likely taken on to signify a characteristic associated with the animal, and what that characteristic was or what it signified is believed to have been derived from a Jewish folk tradition. Foxes are generally thought to embody cleverness, quick-wittedness, and resourcefulness. The fox's agility was also seen as a trait that could be adopted by a person and serve them well in the Jewish world.

The fox has strong symbolic meaning in Judaism, and the story of King Solomon, who is famed for his wisdom and intelligence, might have been a source for choosing the nickname. In the story, King Solomon commanded a fox to rescue a stranded dove from a log, a feat that supposedly only the fox's cleverness could accomplish.

The choice of the nickname Wolpaw thus likely served as a sign of intelligence and quick thinking that could increase a person's standing in the Jewish community. It is possible that the use of the name evolved with time and that its initial users intended to indicate the fox's qualities of smarts, agility, and resourcefulness. Whatever the original intention, the name Wolpaw has become a common Jewish last name in Eastern Europe with connotations of cleverness and wisdom.

Wolpaw: Where does the name Wolpaw come from?

The last name Wolpaw is most commonly found in North America. The surname is predominantly in the United States, Canada, and Mexico, although a small number of people bearing the name can be found in countries such as the United Kingdom, Australia, and Argentina.

The surname likely originated in Eastern Europe, as many of the early instances of the surname found in the United States in the early 20th century are Russian immigrants. One of the first instances of the surname can be found in New Jersey in 1911.

Wolpaw is a fairly rare surname, although identified recent instances of the name are located mainly in the Northeastern and Midwestern United States. Cases of the surname have been found in urban areas such as New York City, Philadelphia, and Chicago.

Today, the last name Wolpaw is held by a relatively small number of individuals. The U.S. Census Bureau states that "for the most part this name is found only in small numbers, and does not appear to have changed drastically over the past century.

Variations of the surname Wolpaw

The surname Wolpaw is an anglicized form of the Ashkenazic Jewish surname Valpov, derived from the Valpovo shtetl, which is a town in Eastern Croatia. It is believed that the Wolpaw surname originated from the Jewish community of this town.

The variants, spellings and surnames of the same origin for Wolpaw include Valpov, Valpova, Valpawi, Valpaw, Valbpov, Wolpov, Valpovski and Valpovec.

The variants of the name Wolpaw can be found in records in England, Russia, Hungary, Poland and other countries with large Jewish communities. The name can also be found in some non-Jewish records, such as in Russia and Poland.

The surname is most commonly spelled as Wolpaw, however, there are some alternate spellings of the surname such as Valfpov, Volfpaw and Valbpov.

The surname can be traced to the UK in 1881, where it was most commonly found in the Jewish Quarter of Whitechapel in London. It is also known to have been present in North America during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, particularly in the area of New York City.

In conclusion, there are a variant, spellings and surnames of the same origin for the surname Wolpaw. These include Valpov, Valpova, Valpawi, Valpaw, Valbpov, Wolpov, Valpovski and Valpovec, and can be found in various countries with large Jewish communities such as the UK and the US.

Famous people with the name Wolpaw

• Erik Wolpaw: American writer, game designer and video game journalist.
• Seth Wolpaw: American writer and videogame industry editor.
• Victor Wolpaw: Ukrainian American violinist and composer.
• Jeffrey Wolpaw: American football coach.
• Elizabeth Wolpaw-Ayres: American systems biologist.
• Eric Joseph Wolpaw: American computer scientist.
• Thomas Wolpaw: American neuroscientist.
• Stephen Wolpaw: American psychiatrist and psychopharmacologist.
• David Wolpaw: French actor and satirist.
• Evander Tizol Wolpaw: Puerto Rican professional boxer.

Other surnames

Wolpa