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

Wendling, 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 Wendling surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Wendling in America

Wendling is the 8536th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Wendling surname appeared 3,855 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Wendling.

We can also compare 2010 data for Wendling 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 Wendling

The surname Wendling is of Germanic origin, specifically from the southern regions of Germany and Switzerland. It likely dates back to the 12th or 13th century. The name is thought to be derived from the Old German word "wandel," which means "wandering" or "to wander." This suggests that the name may have originally referred to an itinerant person or someone who traveled frequently.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Wendling name can be found in a Swiss census record from the year 1296, which lists a person named Wendlingus von Bern. This indicates that the name was already well-established in Switzerland by the late 13th century.

In the 16th century, there are records of a notable Swiss Protestant reformer named Theodor Wendling (c. 1520-1592), who played a significant role in the Reformation movement in Zurich. He was a follower of Huldrych Zwingli and participated in religious disputes and theological debates of the time.

Another historical figure with the Wendling surname was Johann Wendling (1585-1647), a German astronomer and mathematician. He was born in Saxony and is known for his work on calculating planetary orbits and publishing astronomical tables.

In the 18th century, Johann Gottfried Wendling (1707-1769) was a German Baroque composer and organist. He served as the court organist in Hanover and composed various works for organ and other instruments.

The Wendling name can also be traced to certain place names in Germany and Switzerland, such as the village of Wendlingen in the state of Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is possible that the surname originated from this or similar place names, indicating that the early bearers of the name came from these locations.

Throughout history, there have been several notable figures with the Wendling surname, spanning various fields including religion, science, and music. These examples illustrate the prevalence and longevity of the name in the German-speaking regions of Europe.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Wendling

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

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

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

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