Find out how popular the last name Wander is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Wander.

Wander, 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 Wander surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Wander in America

Wander is the 25989th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Wander surname appeared 944 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 Wander.

We can also compare 2010 data for Wander 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.

The history of the last name Wander

The surname "Wander" is of German origin and dates back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Old German word "wandern," which means "to wander" or "to travel." This suggests that the name was likely given to someone who was a traveler or wanderer by trade or lifestyle.

The earliest recorded instance of the name "Wander" can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus, a collection of medieval documents from the region of Saxony, Germany. In a document dated 1187, a man named "Heinrich Wander" is mentioned as a witness to a land transaction.

Another early reference to the name appears in the Chronica Regia Coloniensis, a chronicle of the city of Cologne, Germany, from the 13th century. In this text, a "Konrad Wander" is listed as a citizen of Cologne in the year 1256.

In the late 15th century, a man named "Hans Wander" was a prominent merchant and alderman in the city of Nuremberg, Germany. He is mentioned in several historical records from that time period, including the Nuremberg City Council minutes from 1492.

One of the earliest known bearers of the "Wander" surname in England was "John Wander," who is recorded in the Parish Registers of St. Mary's Church in Warwick in 1581.

Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals with the surname "Wander." One example is "Johann Gottfried Wander" (1798-1867), a German philologist and lexicographer who compiled the famous Deutsches Sprichwörter-Lexikon, a comprehensive dictionary of German proverbs.

Another prominent figure was "Friedrich Wander" (1814-1870), a German writer and journalist who was a strong advocate for democracy and social reform in the mid-19th century.

In the world of literature, "Maximilian Wander" (1870-1949) was a German novelist and short story writer known for his works depicting rural life in Bavaria.

In the field of science, "Ernst Wander" (1892-1973) was a Swiss chemist who made significant contributions to the development of synthetic vitamins and food additives.

Lastly, "Alfons Wander" (1907-1980) was a German businessman and entrepreneur who founded the Wander AG company, which became one of the leading manufacturers of dairy products and nutritional supplements in Europe.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Wander

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Wander.

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:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Wander was:

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 Wander has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

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 Wander was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Wander, please contact us.

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