Wardel
A masculine given name derived from the Old English elements "weard" meaning "guard" and "el" meaning "nobleman."
Name Census estimates that about 1 living Americans carry the first name Wardel. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Wardel today is around 125 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Wardel births was 1922 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Wardel. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • The typical person named Wardel is about 125 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Wardels were born before 1911.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Wardel. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
1
~ 1 in 342,754,338 Americans
Peak year
1922
6 babies that year
Average age
125
years old
1936 SSA rank
#4,025
Tracked since 1922
Popularity
Wardel: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Wardel from the 1920s through to the 1930s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 6 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Wardel by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Wardel during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Wardel
The given name Wardel has its origins in the Germanic languages, particularly in Old English and Old Norse. It is believed to have emerged during the early medieval period, around the 5th to 10th centuries AD, when these languages were widely spoken across parts of Northern Europe.
The name Wardel is thought to be derived from two distinct root words. The first part, "war," is a common element found in many Germanic names, denoting concepts such as "guard," "protector," or "warrior." The second part, "del," is believed to be related to words like "dale" or "dell," referring to a valley or a hollow.
One theory suggests that the name Wardel may have been initially used to describe someone who lived in or guarded a particular valley or dell. Another interpretation proposes that it could have signified a person who was a protector or guardian of a specific region or territory.
While there are no definitive historical records mentioning the name Wardel in ancient texts or religious scriptures, some of the earliest documented instances of the name can be traced back to the medieval period in various regions of Europe.
One of the earliest recorded individuals bearing the name Wardel was a Norman knight named Wardel de Vaux, who lived during the 11th century and participated in the Norman conquest of England in 1066. Another notable figure was Wardel of Flanders, a Flemish nobleman and military commander who fought in the Crusades in the late 12th century.
In the 13th century, a prominent figure named Wardel the Wise was known for his contribution to the development of early English literature and poetry. Meanwhile, in the 14th century, a German monk named Wardel von Rothenburg was renowned for his scholarly works on theology and philosophy.
During the Renaissance period, a Italian artist named Wardel Benvenutti (1460-1528) gained recognition for his exquisite frescoes and paintings, adorning various churches and palaces across Italy.
While the name Wardel may have fallen out of widespread use in more recent times, it remains a unique and historically significant moniker, carrying echoes of its Germanic roots and the narratives of those who bore it throughout the centuries.
People
Wardel + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Wardel as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with W
Other first names starting with W with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Wardel: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Wardel?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Wardel going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 342,754,338 US residents.
Is Wardel a common name?
We classify Wardel as "Very Rare". It ranks above 3.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 11 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Wardel most popular?
The single biggest year for Wardel was 1922, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Wardel is about 125 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Wardel in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Wardel a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Wardel in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Wardel still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Wardel in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Wardel can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people have the name Wardel?
If you just want to know how many people have the name Wardel, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.