Wolfgang
Masculine · “wolf's path”
Wolfgang is the wolf's path — two blunt Germanic words joined, and one of the very few old compounds still given unchanged in German today.
How old is the name Wolfgang?
Wolfgang first appears in US birth records in 1929 — 96 years ago. The typical Wolfgang alive today was born around 2012, making them about 13 years old. About 3,100 people named Wolfgang are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Wolfgang most popular?
Wolfgang peaked in 2019, reaching #1277 nationally. Today it ranks #1514, 237 places below that high. See the whole 2019 chart.
Where it comes from
From wulf gang to Wolfgang
The story of Wolfgang
Saint Wolfgang of Regensburg was a tenth-century bishop and monastic reformer, tutor to the future Emperor Otto III, and one of the patron saints of Bavaria. The name stayed standard in German-speaking Europe and was carried by Mozart and by Goethe. German emigration brought it to America, where it appears steadily and remains in current low-level use.
Meaning
wolf's path, wolf-going
From the Germanic wulf, 'wolf', and gang, 'going' or 'path' — the same gang still in modern German for a corridor or a walk. The compound is transparent to German speakers. The wolf was an admired battle animal in Germanic naming rather than a feared one.
How the name formed
- wulf gang
- Wolfgang
Related forms: Wolfgang · Volfango · Wolfgang
Pronouncing Wolfgang
WOOLF-gang
Two syllables, stress on the first. German says VOLF-gang with a v sound at the front.
Nicknames for Wolfgang
Moderate
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1929
- Most boys named
- 2019146 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #1277reached in 2019
- Change vs 2023
- −20.7%115 in 2025, from 145
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Wolfgang in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Wolfgang in German — same name
- Volfango in Italian — related form
- Wolfgang in Polish — same name
Strongest US states over the last decade: California, Texas, New York.
Wolfgangs among us
people named Wolfgang are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 boy in 14,853 born in 2025 was named Wolfgang
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
What happens to a name after it peaks
The Eligio test
Every popular name lives one long story — a climb, a peak, a slow settling back. Wolfgang's later chapters haven't been written yet, so we borrowed them: Eligio climbed just as high around 1909, and its whole arc is on record. Line the two peaks up, and Eligio's path sketches the road Wolfgang is walking now.
Wolfgang sits in the calm middle of the cycle — neither chasing a wave nor sliding off one. Middle-of-the-cycle names age slowly and predictably.
A scored estimate from 146 years of naming cycles — not a prophecy. Great names outlive statistics. How this is scored
Where Wolfgang is headed
Wolfgang should hold steady through 2030 — the curve is flat, and flat curves are the most predictable kind.
Medium confidence — fitted on official counts through 2025.
A damped-trend projection of the official birth data — a sketch of momentum, not a promise. Every name's forecast, ranked.
Wolfgang beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Wolfgang in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US boys given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- The meaning is concrete, vivid and completely transparent to German speakers.
- Mozart and Goethe both carry it, which is about as much cultural weight as a name gets.
- Wolf is available as a short form that stands alone.
- The initial consonant differs between the German and English readings.
- It reads as strongly and specifically German.
- The -gang element is a false friend in English.
Nobody names a baby alone.
Put Wolfgang to the vote.
Add it to a family vote or a couple’s swipe deck — the other person gets one card, a simple answer and room to say why. No app, no account for them.
Only the people you invite can see your list.
Already decided on Wolfgang? Hide it among decoys and let them guess.
What they receive
Someone added a name to your list
Wolfgang
Masculine · #1514 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Wolfgangs are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 3,100 people named Wolfgang are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Wolfgang in 2025?
- Wolfgang ranks #1514 among US boy names in 2025, with 115 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Wolfgang?
- About 1 in every 14,853 US boys born in 2025 was named Wolfgang — 115 in all.
- Will my child share the name Wolfgang with classmates?
- Wolfgang will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Wolfgang
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Tristian#1514 · Gavriel#1514 · Jru#1514 · Lamar#1514 · Jahmari#1514 · Brent#1509 · Masai#1509 · Zackary#1509
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Wolfgang? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Wolfgang and another name?
See them side by side — full stats, history and a gentle verdict.
Compare side by sideIn a hurry? Just pick a winner — one tap, no sign-up, and you see how everyone else voted.
Weighing a whole shortlist? Add the rest in the builder, or settle it with a bracket.
Cast your vote
Which one would you pick?
Your gut first, the numbers after — the split shows once you pick.
US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
No advertising trackers and no data sellinghow we handle your dataindependent and founder-run, about Name Battle