Wiles
A surname with several possible origins, most often explained as a nickname from “wily” or as a shortened form of an older name like Wild or Wills.
The #2,754 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 23,559 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Historical dictionaries give more than one explanation for Wiles. One line of thought connects it with Old English and Middle English forms meaning “wily” or “sly,” while another treats it as a shortened or altered form of related surnames such as Wild, Wildman, or Wills. Some writers also suggest it may preserve an old personal name or a local surname in which a final consonant was lost over time.
History
The surname is recorded in medieval England, including examples from the reign of Edward I. Later surname books note that it may have developed in more than one way in different places, which helps explain why the name is not tied to a single clear origin. Today it is a relatively uncommon but established English-language surname, especially familiar in Britain and the United States.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Some 19th- and early-20th-century scholars thought Wiles might have arisen by dropping a final consonant from forms like Wild or Wills, showing how small spelling shifts could create new surnames.
From the historical record
“WILEMAN for Wildman, q.v. WILES I ior Wildes, q.v. 2 a diphthongized form of Wills, q.v. WILEY (Eng.) i = Wylie, q.v. 2 Wily, Sly . [f. O.E. wil, a wile] WILFORD (Eng.) Bel. to Wilford (Notts), 13th cent. Wyleford, Wylleford, late 12th cent. Wileford, Domesday Wilesforde (where the palatal .y {sh), as in other…”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)