2000
#8,008
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,822
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.42
Rare Last name
Wendell
Derived from a place name meaning "valley with a heathen temple" in Old English.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,845 Americans carry the last name Wendell. That puts it at #9,317 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.12 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 89,143 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Wendell 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
3.8K
1 in 89,143
Census rank
#9,317
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,353 bearers of the surname Wendell in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.12 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9317th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Wendell, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.7%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Wendell
The surname Wendell has its origins in Germany and is a locational name derived from the place name Wendel in Rhineland-Palatinate. The name is believed to have originated from the Old High German word "winda," meaning "to turn or wind," possibly referring to a winding road or path.
The earliest recorded instance of the name dates back to the 11th century, when a "Reinherus de Wendele" was mentioned in a document from the region of Saarland, Germany. The name was also found in the Codex Diplomaticus, a collection of historical documents from the Rhineland area, where it appeared as "Wendelen" and "Wendel."
In the Domesday Book, a survey of land ownership in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086, the name is not directly mentioned. However, there are references to places with similar names, such as Wendover in Buckinghamshire and Wennington in Essex.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Wendell was Johann Wendell (c. 1560-1630), a German theologian and professor at the University of Wittenberg. Another notable figure was Cornelius Wendell (1594-1666), a Dutch merchant and early settler in the New Netherland colony, now known as New York.
In the 17th century, members of the Wendell family immigrated to the American colonies, and the name became established in New England. One of the most prominent figures was Jacob Wendell (1691-1759), a wealthy merchant and landowner in Boston, who served as a member of the Massachusetts Governor's Council.
Other notable individuals with the surname Wendell include Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr. (1809-1894), an American physician, professor, and author, best known for his series of essays published as "The Autocrat of the Breakfast-Table." His son, Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. (1841-1935), was a renowned jurist who served as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States.
Additionally, the name is associated with Wendell Willkie (1892-1944), an American businessman and political figure who was the Republican nominee for president in 1940, and Wendell Berry (born 1934), an American novelist, poet, and environmental activist.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Wendell
Among Census respondents with the surname Wendell, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.7%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Wendell 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 Wendell surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.5% · 3,036
- Hispanic or Latino4.7% · 158
- Two or more races2.6% · 87
- Black or African American1.4% · 46
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 16
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 10
Timeline
Historical Census data for Wendell
Wendell 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
#8,244
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,020
+198 bearers (+5.2%)
Per 100,000 1.36
Rank movement Down 236 places
2020
#9,317
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,353
-667 bearers (-16.6%)
Per 100,000 1.12
Rank movement Down 1,073 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,008 | 3,822 | 1.42 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,244 | 4,020 | 1.36 | +198 bearers (+5.2%) | Down 236 places |
| 2020 | #9,317 | 3,353 | 1.12 | -667 bearers (-16.6%) | Down 1,073 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 Wendell 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 | #8,244 | #9,317 | -13.0% |
| Count | 4,020 | 3,353 | -16.6% |
| Per 100K | 1.36 | 1.12 | -17.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Wendell bearers went from 4,020 to 3,353 (-16.6% change). The surname moved down 1,073 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,244 to #9,317.
FAQ
Wendell surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Wendell?
Name Census estimates that about 3,845 living Americans carry the surname Wendell. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 89,143 residents.
How common is Wendell?
Wendell ranks #9,317 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.12 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,353 people with the surname Wendell. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,845), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.12 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.12 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Wendell.
Has Wendell become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Wendell went from 4,020 recorded bearers to 3,353. That is a decrease of 667 (-16.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,244 to #9,317.
What does the Census say about the background of Wendell?
Among Census respondents with the surname Wendell, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.7%) and Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Wendell in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.5% (3,036 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Wendell appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.5%), Hispanic (4.7%), Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Wendell (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 Wendell mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "valley with a heathen temple" in Old English. 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 Wendell (1.12 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 people are called Wendell?
See how many people have the last name Wendell on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.