2000
#8,147
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,747
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.39
Rare Last name
Wendling
Derived from a Germanic personal name composed of the elements "wand," meaning a Wend, and "ling," denoting association.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,103 Americans carry the last name Wendling. That puts it at #8,795 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.20 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 83,537 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Wendling 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
4.1K
1 in 83,537
Census rank
#8,795
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,578 bearers of the surname Wendling in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.20 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8795th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Wendling, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.6%) and Hispanic (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Wendling
Among Census respondents with the surname Wendling, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.6%) and Hispanic (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Wendling 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 Wendling surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.2% · 3,372
- Two or more races2.6% · 92
- Hispanic or Latino1.8% · 65
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 30
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 13
- Black or African American0.2% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Wendling
Wendling 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
#8,536
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,855
+108 bearers (+2.9%)
Per 100,000 1.31
Rank movement Down 389 places
2020
#8,795
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,578
-277 bearers (-7.2%)
Per 100,000 1.20
Rank movement Down 259 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,147 | 3,747 | 1.39 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,536 | 3,855 | 1.31 | +108 bearers (+2.9%) | Down 389 places |
| 2020 | #8,795 | 3,578 | 1.20 | -277 bearers (-7.2%) | Down 259 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 Wendling 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 | #8,536 | #8,795 | -3.0% |
| Count | 3,855 | 3,578 | -7.2% |
| Per 100K | 1.31 | 1.20 | -8.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Wendling bearers went from 3,855 to 3,578 (-7.2% change). The surname moved down 259 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,536 to #8,795.
FAQ
Wendling surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Wendling?
Name Census estimates that about 4,103 living Americans carry the surname Wendling. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 83,537 residents.
How common is Wendling?
Wendling ranks #8,795 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.20 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 3,578 people with the surname Wendling. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,103), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.2 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.20 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 Wendling.
Has Wendling become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Wendling went from 3,855 recorded bearers to 3,578. That is a decrease of 277 (-7.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,536 to #8,795.
What does the Census say about the background of Wendling?
Among Census respondents with the surname Wendling, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.6%) and Hispanic (1.8%). 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 Wendling in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.2% (3,372 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Wendling appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.2%), Two or More Races (2.6%), Hispanic (1.8%). 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 Wendling (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 Wendling mean?
Derived from a Germanic personal name composed of the elements "wand," meaning a Wend, and "ling," denoting association. 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 Wendling (1.20 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 Wendling?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.