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

Wentzel, 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 Wentzel surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Wentzel in America

Wentzel is the 8894th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Wentzel surname appeared 3,681 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 Wentzel.

We can also compare 2010 data for Wentzel 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 Wentzel

The surname Wentzel originates from Germany, traced back to the 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the Germanic word "wenzel," meaning "to turn or twist." This suggests an early association with occupations involving twisting or spinning, such as those related to textile production.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Wentzel surname can be found in the town records of Nuremberg, Bavaria, dated 1572, which mention a "Hans Wentzel." This suggests that the name was already well-established in that region by the late 16th century.

In the 17th century, the Wentzel name appeared in various church records and tax rolls across German territories. Notable examples include Johann Wentzel, a merchant from Hamburg born in 1625, and Christoph Wentzel, a Lutheran pastor from Saxony who lived from 1659 to 1717.

As the surname spread throughout German-speaking regions, it underwent slight variations in spelling, such as Wentzel, Wentzell, and Wentzl. These variations were likely influenced by regional dialects and scribal practices.

During the 18th century, some individuals bearing the Wentzel surname achieved recognition in various fields. One example is Johann Friedrich Wentzel (1713-1768), a German mathematician who made significant contributions to the study of elliptic integrals.

The 19th century saw the Wentzel name spread further across Europe and beyond, as emigration from German territories increased. One notable figure was Gustav Wentzel (1857-1919), a German physicist and pioneering researcher in the field of solid-state physics.

Other historical figures with the Wentzel surname include Erwin Wentzel (1889-1949), a German physicist who worked on quantum mechanics, and Walter Wentzel (1902-1975), a German artist and printmaker associated with the Expressionist movement.

While the Wentzel surname remains most prevalent in Germany and other German-speaking regions, it has also been carried by individuals of German descent to various parts of the world, including North America and other European countries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Wentzel

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

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

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

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