2000
#136,783
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Wendeborn
A German habitational surname denoting someone from Wendeborn.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 136 Americans carry the last name Wendeborn. That puts it at #142,788 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,520,252 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Wendeborn surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
136
1 in 2,520,252
Census rank
#142,788
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
119
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 119 bearers of the surname Wendeborn in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142788th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Wendeborn, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (14.3%) and Two or More Races (5.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Wendeborn
The surname Wendeborn originated in the German-speaking regions of Europe, specifically in the northern German states. It is believed to have derived from a place name, which was a common practice during the Middle Ages when surnames first came into widespread use.
The name Wendeborn likely originated from a small town or village called Wendeborn, possibly located in the modern-day state of Lower Saxony or North Rhine-Westphalia. The name itself may have been derived from the Old German words "wenden," meaning "to turn," and "born," meaning "stream" or "well," suggesting a settlement near a winding stream or a well.
Historical records from the 13th and 14th centuries mention individuals with the surname Wendeborn, indicating its early usage. One of the earliest known references can be found in the chronicles of the Cistercian monastery in Amelungsborn, which mention a "Henricus de Wendeborne" in the year 1268.
In the 15th century, a notable figure named Johann Wendeborn (c. 1450-1525) was a German theologian and humanist scholar from the city of Lüneburg. He studied at the universities of Erfurt and Cologne and later became a professor at the University of Rostock.
Another individual of note was Gerhard Wendeborn (1584-1652), a German Lutheran theologian and controversialist who served as a professor at the University of Helmstedt and wrote extensively on religious topics.
During the 17th century, Johann Wendeboren (1618-1668) was a German painter and engraver born in Lübeck. He is known for his portraits and religious paintings, some of which can be found in the collections of the Lübeck Museum of Art.
In the 18th century, Gebhard Friedrich August Wendeborn (1742-1811) was a German writer and historian from Braunschweig. He authored several works on the history and geography of various regions, including the West Indies and the United States.
Another notable figure was Friedrich Ludwig Wendeborn (1784-1836), a German lawyer and politician who served as a member of the Hanseatic Parliament in Lübeck during the early 19th century.
While the surname Wendeborn originated in northern Germany, it has since spread to other parts of the world through emigration and migration, with varying spellings and pronunciations adapted to different languages and cultures.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Wendeborn
Among Census respondents with the surname Wendeborn, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (14.3%) and Two or More Races (5.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Wendeborn bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Wendeborn surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White79.8% · 95
- Hispanic or Latino14.3% · 17
- Two or more races5.9% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Wendeborn
Wendeborn appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#139,228
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
+7 bearers (+6.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 2,445 places
2020
#142,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
-1 bearers (-0.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 3,560 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #136,783 | 113 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #139,228 | 120 | 0.04 | +7 bearers (+6.2%) | Down 2,445 places |
| 2020 | #142,788 | 119 | 0.04 | -1 bearers (-0.8%) | Down 3,560 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Wendeborn surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #139,228 | #142,788 | -2.6% |
| Count | 120 | 119 | -0.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -0.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Wendeborn bearers went from 120 to 119 (-0.8% change). The surname moved down 3,560 positions in the national ranking, going from #139,228 to #142,788.
FAQ
Wendeborn surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Wendeborn?
Name Census estimates that about 136 living Americans carry the surname Wendeborn. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,520,252 residents.
How common is Wendeborn?
Wendeborn ranks #142,788 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 119 people with the surname Wendeborn. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (136), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Wendeborn.
Has Wendeborn become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Wendeborn went from 120 recorded bearers to 119. That is a decrease of 1 (-0.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #139,228 to #142,788.
What does the Census say about the background of Wendeborn?
Among Census respondents with the surname Wendeborn, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (14.3%) and Two or More Races (5.9%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Wendeborn in the 2020 Census, accounting for 79.8% (95 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Wendeborn appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (79.8%), Hispanic (14.3%), Two or More Races (5.9%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Wendeborn (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Wendeborn mean?
A German habitational surname denoting someone from Wendeborn. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Wendeborn (0.04 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many Americans have the surname Wendeborn?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.