2010
#157,234
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Wendelschafer
A German surname denoting someone who herds sheep.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 116 Americans carry the last name Wendelschafer. That puts it at #155,270 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,954,779 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Wendelschafer 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
116
1 in 2,954,779
Census rank
#155,270
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
101
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 101 bearers of the surname Wendelschafer in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 155270th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Wendelschafer, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (10.9%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Wendelschafer
The surname Wendelschafer is of German origin, originating in the late 15th century. It is derived from the Germanic words "wendel" meaning "winding" and "schafer" meaning "shepherd," suggesting it was initially a descriptive occupational name for a shepherd who tended flocks along winding paths or in hilly terrain. The name was most prevalent in the southern regions of Germany, particularly Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Wendelschafer name can be found in the parish records of the town of Rottweil, located in the Black Forest region of Germany, dating back to the year 1493. The entry mentions a certain Hans Wendelschafer, a local shepherd. Another early reference is found in the tax records of the city of Augsburg from the year 1534, where a family by the name of Wendelschafer is listed as residents.
In the 17th century, a notable figure bearing the Wendelschafer name was Johann Wendelschafer (1618-1688), a respected theologian and author who served as a pastor in the town of Schmalkalden, Thuringia. His published works include several religious texts and commentaries on biblical scriptures.
During the 18th century, the Wendelschafer name gained some prominence in the field of music. Georg Wendelschafer (1735-1802) was a German composer and organist who served as the court musician for the Prince-Bishop of Bamberg. His compositions, primarily sacred choral works, were highly regarded in his time.
In the late 19th century, a noteworthy individual with the Wendelschafer surname was Karl Wendelschafer (1858-1932), a successful businessman and industrialist from the city of Stuttgart. He founded the Wendelschafer Machine Works, which gained recognition for manufacturing high-quality machinery and tools for various industries.
Another prominent figure was Friedrich Wendelschafer (1892-1967), a German architect and urban planner. He was responsible for designing several notable public buildings and residential complexes in cities like Frankfurt and Munich, many of which still stand today as examples of early 20th-century modernist architecture.
While the name Wendelschafer has its roots in Germany, it has since spread to other parts of the world due to migration and diaspora. However, the majority of individuals bearing this surname can trace their ancestry back to the southern regions of Germany, where the name originated.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Wendelschafer
Among Census respondents with the surname Wendelschafer, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (10.9%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Wendelschafer 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 Wendelschafer surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White83.2% · 84
- Hispanic or Latino10.9% · 11
- Two or more races3.0% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.0% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Wendelschafer
Wendelschafer appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#155,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
-2 bearers (-1.9%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Up 1,964 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #157,234 | 103 | 0.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #155,270 | 101 | 0.03 | -2 bearers (-1.9%) | Up 1,964 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 Wendelschafer 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 | #157,234 | #155,270 | 1.2% |
| Count | 103 | 101 | -1.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.03 | 12.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Wendelschafer bearers went from 103 to 101 (-1.9% change). The surname moved up 1,964 positions in the national ranking, going from #157,234 to #155,270.
FAQ
Wendelschafer surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Wendelschafer?
Name Census estimates that about 116 living Americans carry the surname Wendelschafer. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,954,779 residents.
How common is Wendelschafer?
Wendelschafer ranks #155,270 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 101 people with the surname Wendelschafer. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (116), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Wendelschafer.
Has Wendelschafer become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Wendelschafer went from 103 recorded bearers to 101. That is a decrease of 2 (-1.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #157,234 to #155,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Wendelschafer?
Among Census respondents with the surname Wendelschafer, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (10.9%) and Two or More Races (3.0%). 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 Wendelschafer in the 2020 Census, accounting for 83.2% (84 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Wendelschafer appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (83.2%), Hispanic (10.9%), Two or More Races (3.0%). 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 Wendelschafer (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 Wendelschafer mean?
A German surname denoting someone who herds sheep. 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 Wendelschafer (0.03 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 have the last name Wendelschafer?
You can see how many people have the last name Wendelschafer on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.