Wendellyn
A feminine name of English origin meaning "wanderer from the wind valley".
Name Census estimates that about 13 living Americans carry the first name Wendellyn. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Wendellyn today is around 63 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Wendellyn births was 1959 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Wendellyn. 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
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Wendellyn. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
13
~ 1 in 26,365,718 Americans
Peak year
1959
6 babies that year
Average age
63
years old
1969 SSA rank
#7,461
Tracked since 1948
Popularity
Wendellyn: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Wendellyn from the 1940s through to the 1960s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1960s, 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
Wendellyn 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 Wendellyn 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 Wendellyn
The name Wendellyn is an English variant of the Germanic name Wendelin, derived from the Old High German "Wendelīn," meaning "Wanderer" or "Pilgrim." This name traces its roots back to the 7th century and was popular among early Christian saints and religious figures.
The name Wendelin was originally a masculine name, but over time, the variant Wendellyn emerged as a feminine form. One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Saint Wendelin, a 6th-century Irish monk who established a monastery in the Vosges Mountains in eastern France.
Another notable figure with the name Wendellyn was Wendellyn Burdick (1913-1993), an American politician who served as a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives from North Dakota from 1949 to 1959. She was a vocal advocate for women's rights and played a crucial role in the ratification of the 19th Amendment, which granted American women the right to vote.
In the literary world, Wendellyn Elizabeth Davis (1937-2022) was an American author and academic known for her contributions to the field of African American literature and culture. Her works explored themes of race, identity, and the African American experience.
Wendellyn Maudene Parker (1921-2012) was a notable American artist and sculptor, best known for her abstract metal sculptures and public art installations. Her work was featured in numerous exhibitions and can be found in several public spaces across the United States.
Wendellyn Joy Emmerson (born 1959) is a Canadian actress and voice actress, known for her roles in various animated series, including "X-Men: The Animated Series" and "Johnny Test." She has lent her voice to numerous characters in video games and animated films.
While the name Wendellyn has its roots in the Germanic language and early Christian traditions, it has evolved over the centuries and has been embraced by individuals from diverse cultural backgrounds, each leaving their unique imprint on the name's history and legacy.
People
Wendellyn + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Wendellyn 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
Wendellyn: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Wendellyn?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 13 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Wendellyn 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 26,365,718 US residents.
Is Wendellyn a common name?
We classify Wendellyn as "Very Rare". It ranks above 33.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 17 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Wendellyn most popular?
The single biggest year for Wendellyn was 1959, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Wendellyn is about 63 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 Wendellyn in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Wendellyn a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Wendellyn in the SSA data are female. 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 Wendellyn still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Wendellyn 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 Wendellyn 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 Wendellyn as a first name?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.