2010
#149,395
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Wensell
Derived from a Germanic surname referring to one from the town of Wenzlow.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 124 Americans carry the last name Wensell. That puts it at #150,935 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,764,148 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Wensell 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
124
1 in 2,764,148
Census rank
#150,935
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
108
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 108 bearers of the surname Wensell in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150935th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Wensell, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Wensell
The surname WENSELL is of English origin and dates back to the 13th century. It is derived from the Old English words "wynn" meaning joy or pleasure, and "sele" meaning a hall or dwelling. The name likely referred to someone who lived in a joyful or pleasant hall or dwelling.
In its early days, the name was found primarily in the counties of Yorkshire and Lancashire in northern England. Variations of the spelling included Wynsell, Wynnsell, and Wynsill. The name appeared in records such as the Subsidy Rolls of Yorkshire in 1297, where it was listed as Wynsill.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname was John Wensell, who was born in Yorkshire around 1325. Another notable figure was Richard Wensell, a landowner in Lancashire who was mentioned in the Court Rolls of the Duchy of Lancaster in 1412.
During the 16th century, the WENSELL surname began to spread beyond its northern English roots. In 1568, a Thomas Wensell was recorded in the Parish Registers of St. Martin's in London. Around the same time, a William Wensell was listed as a resident of Stratford-upon-Avon in Warwickshire, the birthplace of William Shakespeare.
In the 17th century, the name appeared in various parts of England, including the counties of Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire, and Somerset. One notable individual from this period was John Wensell (1632-1697), a merchant and landowner from Bristol who served as a member of the city's Common Council.
As the name spread further in the 18th and 19th centuries, it also began to appear in various parts of the United States, likely due to immigration from England. Some notable Americans with the WENSELL surname included James Wensell (1765-1842), a farmer and Revolutionary War veteran from Virginia, and Samuel Wensell (1813-1887), a lawyer and judge from Pennsylvania.
Throughout its history, the WENSELL surname has been associated with various occupations and professions, including merchants, landowners, farmers, lawyers, and public servants. While not a particularly common name, it has left its mark on the historical records of England and the United States.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Wensell
Among Census respondents with the surname Wensell, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Wensell 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 Wensell surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.7% · 99
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 4
- Two or more races2.8% · 3
- Black or African American1.9% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Wensell
Wensell 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
#150,935
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
-2 bearers (-1.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 1,540 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #149,395 | 110 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #150,935 | 108 | 0.04 | -2 bearers (-1.8%) | Down 1,540 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 Wensell 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 | #149,395 | #150,935 | -1.0% |
| Count | 110 | 108 | -1.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -9.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Wensell bearers went from 110 to 108 (-1.8% change). The surname moved down 1,540 positions in the national ranking, going from #149,395 to #150,935.
FAQ
Wensell surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Wensell?
Name Census estimates that about 124 living Americans carry the surname Wensell. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,764,148 residents.
How common is Wensell?
Wensell ranks #150,935 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 108 people with the surname Wensell. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (124), 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 Wensell.
Has Wensell become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Wensell went from 110 recorded bearers to 108. That is a decrease of 2 (-1.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #149,395 to #150,935.
What does the Census say about the background of Wensell?
Among Census respondents with the surname Wensell, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (2.8%). 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 Wensell in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.7% (99 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Wensell appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.7%), Hispanic (3.7%), Two or More Races (2.8%). 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 Wensell (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 Wensell mean?
Derived from a Germanic surname referring to one from the town of Wenzlow. 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 Wensell (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 share the surname Wensell?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.