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

Wedl, 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 Wedl surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Wedl in America

Wedl is the 128249th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Wedl surname appeared 133 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 Wedl.

We can also compare 2010 data for Wedl 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 Wedl

The surname WEDL is of German origin and is believed to have originated in the late medieval period, around the 13th or 14th century. The name is thought to be derived from the Old German word "wedel," which means a fan or a switch, possibly referring to an occupation or trade related to fan-making or a similar craft.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name WEDL can be found in the Nuremberg Chronicle, a famous illustrated world history book published in 1493. This suggests that the name was already well-established in parts of Germany by the late 15th century.

In the 16th century, the name WEDL appeared in various records and documents across southern Germany, particularly in the regions of Bavaria and Swabia. For example, a Hans Wedl was mentioned in a court record from the town of Augsburg in 1542.

The name WEDL may also have been associated with certain place names or locations, such as the village of Wedl in Upper Austria, which could have contributed to the widespread use of the surname in neighboring regions of Germany.

One notable bearer of the WEDL surname was Johann Wedl, a German painter and engraver who lived in the late 16th century. His works included religious paintings and engravings for books and manuscripts.

In the 17th century, the name WEDL continued to be found in various parts of southern Germany, with some variations in spelling, such as Wedel or Wedele. A Wilhelm Wedl was recorded as a citizen of the city of Regensburg in 1632, during the turbulent years of the Thirty Years' War.

As the centuries progressed, the WEDL surname spread to other parts of Europe, with some bearers of the name achieving notable status. For instance, Johann Nepomuk Wedl (1792-1870) was an Austrian botanist and physician who made significant contributions to the study of plant life in the Alps.

Another noteworthy individual with the WEDL surname was Karl Wedl (1842-1909), an Austrian physicist and university professor who conducted research in the field of optics and wrote several influential textbooks on the subject.

While the surname WEDL may not be among the most common in the present day, its history and origins can be traced back several centuries, reflecting the rich cultural and linguistic diversity of German-speaking regions in Europe.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Wedl

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

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

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

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