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Woulfe: Irish Surname History & Coat of Arms

de Bhul / de Bhulbh · Norman 'le Wulf', 'le Wolf' — the wolf, one of a rapacious disposition

Woulfe (1923) gives his own surname, de Bhul / de Bhulbh, as from the Norman 'le Wulf' or 'le Wolf', 'the wolf, one of a rapacious disposition'; he prints both English forms, Woulfe and Wolfe, unbracketed, as the anglicised forms of this one Norman family, which 'came into Ireland at the time of the Anglo-Norman invasion and settled in Kildare and Limerick'. He also records Ulf, 'a common personal name among all the Teutonic races', likewise anglicised Woulfe or Wolfe, which he says 'cannot now be distinguished from de Bhulbh'. A branch of the Woulfes in Limerick and Clare adopted the patronymic surname Nix. In Matheson's 1890 births index, 22 Woulfe entries including spelling varieties were recorded in Ireland (12 spelled Woulfe), principally in Limerick.

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Coat of arms associated with the Woulfe surname
Irish formde Bhul / de Bhulbh
MeaningNorman 'le Wulf', 'le Wolf' — the wolf, one of a rapacious disposition
CountiesKildare, Limerick, Clare
Other spellings5
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Origin of the Woulfe name

Woulfe: de Bhul/de Bhulbh, Norman 'le Wulf'/'le Wolf' ('the wolf, one of a rapacious disposition'), 'came into Ireland at the time of the Anglo-Norman invasion and settled in Kildare and Limerick' — in Kildare at Baile nuadh, now Newtown, near Athy, with a district called Críoch Bhulbhach, 'Woulfe's country', on the east side of the Barrow extending towards Monasterevan; and in Limerick, where 'the Woulfes of Limerick, from the 14th to the middle of the 17th century, took an active part in the affairs of the city'. He also records Ulf, 'a common personal name among all the Teutonic races', likewise anglicised Woulfe/Wolfe, which 'cannot now be distinguished' from de Bhulbh.[1][2]

  1. 1641Baile nuadh forfeited on the attainder of Nicholas Wolfe.[1]
  2. 1651Ireton exempts Father Francis Woulfe and Captain George Woulfe from pardon at Limerick.[1]
  3. 1653David Wolfe transplanted to Connacht.[1]
  4. 1739Arthur Wolfe, later Viscount Kilwarden, born.[7]
  5. 1791Rev. Charles Wolfe, poet, born in Dublin.[8]
  6. 189022 Woulfe entries including spelling varieties recorded in Ireland (12 spelled Woulfe), principally in Limerick.[5]

Where in Ireland

Co. KildareSeated at Baile nuadh (Newtown, near Athy) and the district called Críoch Bhulbhach, 'Woulfe's country' (Woulfe).[1]
Co. LimerickWoulfes of Limerick took an active part in the city's affairs, 14th to mid-17th century (Woulfe); principal county in 1890.[1][5]
Co. ClareWoulfe: 'Some of the name about the same time settled in Clare' — the preceding sentence being dated 1653.[1]

Notable people named Woulfe

Rev. David Wolfed. c.1578Limerick-born Jesuit; sent by the Pope in August 1560 'with the privileges of an Apostolic Legate'; imprisoned in Dublin Castle about 1566; escaped to Spain 1572.[9]
Arthur Wolfe, Viscount Kilwarden1739–1803Chief Justice of the King's Bench from 1798; piked by insurgents in Thomas Street, 23 July 1803, and died that night.[7]
Rev. Charles Wolfe1791–1823Dublin-born poet, b. 14 December 1791, d. at Cove 21 February 1823; wrote 'The Burial of Sir John Moore', penned 1814.[8]

Other spellings

Wolfe · Wolff · Ulfe · Nix · Woulfe-Nix[1][2][6]

The Woulfe coat of arms

The design shown is a coat of arms associated with the Woulfe surname. In Irish and British heraldry a coat of arms is granted to one person and passes to their heirs; it does not belong to everyone who shares the surname. Many families still use the arms of their name as a symbol of their heritage.

Woulfe surname: questions

What does the surname Woulfe mean?

Woulfe gives his own name, de Bhul/de Bhulbh, as from the Norman 'le Wulf'/'le Wolf', meaning the wolf, 'one of a rapacious disposition'.[1]

Are Woulfe and Wolfe the same surname?

Yes, for the Norman family. Woulfe's own entry for de Bhul/de Bhulbh prints 'Woulfe, Wolfe' together and unbracketed as the anglicised forms of one family, and his Ulf entry likewise gives both spellings.[1][2]

Where does the Woulfe/Wolfe family come from?

Woulfe says the family came into Ireland at the Anglo-Norman invasion and settled in Co. Kildare (Newtown, near Athy) and in Limerick, where it took an active part in the city's affairs from the 14th to the mid-17th century.[1]

Is Wolfe always the same name as Woulfe?

Not always. Woulfe also records Ulf, 'a common personal name among all the Teutonic races', anglicised Ulfe, Wulf, Woulfe, Wolfe, which he says 'cannot now be distinguished from de Bhulbh'; and Ó Mactíre, 'descendant of Mactíre' (wolf), a branch of the Ui Liathain in East Cork, also anglicised Wolfe.[2][4]

Sources

  1. de Bhul, de Bhulbh — Irish Names and Surnames (Rev. Patrick Woulfe, 1923), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/names/d/de-bhul-de-bhulbh.php
  2. Ulf — Irish Names and Surnames (Rev. Patrick Woulfe, 1923), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/names/u/ulf.php
  3. Mac Niocais — Irish Names and Surnames (Rev. Patrick Woulfe, 1923), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/names/macn/mac-niocais.php
  4. Ó Mactíre — Irish Names and Surnames (Rev. Patrick Woulfe, 1923), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/names/om/o-mactire.php
  5. Woulfe — Birth Indexes of 1890 — Special Report on Surnames in Ireland (Robert E. Matheson, 1909), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/matheson/report/births/woulfe.php
  6. Wolfe — Varieties and Synonymes of Surnames and Christian Names in Ireland (Robert E. Matheson, 1901), list no. 2071, transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/matheson/varieties/list/2071.php
  7. Wolfe, Arthur, Viscount Kilwarden — A Compendium of Irish Biography (Alfred Webb, 1878), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/biography/ArthurWolfeViscountKilwarden.php
  8. Wolfe, Rev. Charles — A Compendium of Irish Biography (Alfred Webb, 1878), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/biography/RevCharlesWolfe.php
  9. Wolfe, Rev. David — A Compendium of Irish Biography (Alfred Webb, 1878), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/biography/RevDavidWolfe.php

Note: Matheson's 1890 figures for a surname include its spelling varieties (Matheson, Table Explanation).