2010
#154,907
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Wendroth
A German surname derived from a place name containing the components "wende" (a turning point) and "Roth" (a clearing, glade).
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 120 Americans carry the last name Wendroth. That puts it at #152,989 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,856,286 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Wendroth 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
120
1 in 2,856,286
Census rank
#152,989
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
105
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 105 bearers of the surname Wendroth in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 152989th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Wendroth, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.9%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Wendroth
The surname WENDROTH has its origins in Germany, dating back to the Middle Ages. It is believed to have originated in the regions of Saxony and Thuringia, where early variations of the name were recorded in the 13th and 14th centuries.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Stadtbuch of Erfurt, a medieval municipal record book from the year 1319, which mentions a "Conradus dictus Wentroth." This suggests that the name may have derived from an Old German or Middle High German word, possibly related to the term "wenden," meaning "to turn" or "to change direction."
The WENDROTH name has also been linked to various place names in the regions where it first appeared. For example, there is a village called Wendorf in Saxony, which could have influenced the spelling and pronunciation of the surname over time.
In the 15th century, records show a Johannes Wendroth, a merchant from Leipzig who was involved in the thriving trade between the cities of the Hanseatic League. His business dealings likely contributed to the spread of the name beyond its original geographic region.
During the 16th century, the Protestant Reformation had a significant impact on the German states, and several notable figures with the WENDROTH surname emerged from this period. One such individual was Caspar Wendroth (1536-1608), a Lutheran theologian and author who served as a pastor in various towns in Thuringia.
Another prominent bearer of the name was Hans Wendroth (1570-1642), a German composer and organist who worked in the court of the Electors of Saxony during the early Baroque era.
As the centuries passed, the WENDROTH name continued to be documented in various regions of Germany. In the 18th century, Johann Gottfried Wendroth (1718-1788) was a respected jurist and legal scholar who served as a judge in the High Court of Saxony.
In the 19th century, the industrialization of Germany led to increased mobility and migration, further dispersing the WENDROTH surname across the country and beyond. One notable figure from this period was Karl Wendroth (1835-1921), a German entrepreneur and businessman who founded a successful brewing company in the city of Leipzig.
Throughout its history, the WENDROTH surname has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, ranging from clergymen and scholars to merchants and industrialists. While its exact origins remain somewhat ambiguous, the name's enduring presence in Germany is a testament to its deep-rooted heritage and significance within the country's cultural tapestry.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Wendroth
Among Census respondents with the surname Wendroth, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.9%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Wendroth 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 Wendroth surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.4% · 97
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 3
- Two or more races2.9% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.9% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Wendroth
Wendroth 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
#152,989
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
+0 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 1,918 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #154,907 | 105 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #152,989 | 105 | 0.04 | +0 bearers (+0.0%) | Up 1,918 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 Wendroth 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 | #154,907 | #152,989 | 1.2% |
| Count | 105 | 105 | 0.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -12.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Wendroth bearers went from 105 to 105 (+0.0% change). The surname moved up 1,918 positions in the national ranking, going from #154,907 to #152,989.
FAQ
Wendroth surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Wendroth?
Name Census estimates that about 120 living Americans carry the surname Wendroth. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,856,286 residents.
How common is Wendroth?
Wendroth ranks #152,989 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 105 people with the surname Wendroth. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (120), 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 Wendroth.
Has Wendroth become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Wendroth went from 105 recorded bearers to 105. That is an increase of 0 (+0.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #154,907 to #152,989.
What does the Census say about the background of Wendroth?
Among Census respondents with the surname Wendroth, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.9%) and Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Wendroth in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.4% (97 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Wendroth appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.4%), Hispanic (2.9%), Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Wendroth (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 Wendroth mean?
A German surname derived from a place name containing the components "wende" (a turning point) and "Roth" (a clearing, glade). 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 Wendroth (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 people are called Wendroth?
If you just want to know how many people have the last name Wendroth, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.