An English, Danish and German surname, Wilder comes from the Old English term ‘wilde’ and the Middle English term ‘wild’ which both refer to a person or condition as uncontrollable. In the High German term of ‘wilt’ which means something strange or foreign. The spelling variations for Wilder include Willder, Wildor, Wylder and Whilder. In England the Wilder surname is across most of the country. The counties with the higher populations of Wilder include the city of London, Essex, Lancashire, Buckinghamshire, Berkshire and Oxfordshire. In Scotland most Wilder families live in Aberdeenshire, Lanarkshire and Midlothian counties. Within the United States the early Wilder settlers lived in Massachusetts, New York, Maine, New Hampshire, Georgia and Ohio. Famous: Gene Wilder (comic actor), Alec Wilder (songwriter and music composer), Thornton Niven Wilder (novelist and playwright), Michael Wilder (champion chess player), James Wilder (professional football player), John Thomas Wilder (Civil War Union Army General), Laura Ingalls Wilder (novelist) and Billy Wilder (movie film director).