Find out how popular the last name Wandel is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Wandel.
A German surname meaning "to travel" or "to wander."
Wandel, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Wandel surname is from the 2010 census data.
Wandel is the 42378th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.
The Wandel surname appeared 512 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Wandel.
We can also compare 2010 data for Wandel to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.
| 2010 | 2000 | Change (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | 42378 | 37938 | 11.06% |
| Count | 512 | 550 | -7.16% |
| Proportion per 100k | 0.17 | 0.20 | -16.22% |
The surname WANDEL is of German origin, derived from the Middle High German word "wandel" meaning "changeable" or "variable." It is believed to have originated in the 13th century as a descriptive surname, likely referring to someone who frequently changed occupations or residences.
The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in medieval German documents and records from the 14th and 15th centuries. For example, a Johannes Wandel is mentioned in a document from the city of Cologne in 1382. Another early record is that of a Hans Wandel, a citizen of Nuremberg, born around 1430.
The name WANDEL may have also been derived from certain place names or geographic locations, particularly those containing the root "wand" or "wende," which could refer to a bend or turn in a river or road. Some examples of such place names include Wendelsheim, a town in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, and Wenden, a town in North Rhine-Westphalia.
One notable bearer of the WANDEL name was Johann Wandel (1625-1691), a German composer and organist who served at the court of Saxe-Coburg. Another was Johann Baptista Wandel (1592-1662), a German Jesuit missionary and explorer who traveled to China and wrote about his experiences there.
In the 19th century, a prominent figure with the WANDEL surname was Carl Friedrich Wandel (1808-1887), a German architect and urban planner who designed several notable buildings in Berlin, including the Friedrichswerder Church.
Another individual of note was Oskar Wandel (1886-1970), a German engineer and inventor who held numerous patents related to automotive technology. He worked for companies like Daimler-Benz and played a significant role in the development of early gasoline-powered vehicles.
Throughout history, the WANDEL surname has been documented in various forms, including Wandell, Wandele, Wandler, and Wendel, reflecting regional variations in spelling and pronunciation.
We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Wandel.
The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:
For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Wandel was:
| Race/Ethnicity | Percentage | Total Occurrences |
|---|---|---|
| Non-Hispanic White Only | 95.12% | 487 |
| Non-Hispanic Black Only | 0.00% | 0 |
| Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only | (S)% | (S) |
| Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native | (S)% | (S) |
| Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races | (S)% | (S) |
| Hispanic Origin | 2.93% | 15 |
Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.
Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Wandel has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.
| 2010 | 2000 | Change (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 95.12% | 97.45% | -2.42% |
| Black | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | (S)% | (S)% | (S)% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | (S)% | (S)% | (S)% |
| Two or More Races | (S)% | 1.64% | (S)% |
| Hispanic | 2.93% | (S)% | (S)% |
The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.
The history and meaning of the name Wandel was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.
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