2000
#8,343
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,649
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.35
Rare Last name
Wentzel
Derived from a Germanic personal name composed of the elements "wand" meaning "wanderer" and "hild" meaning "battle".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,136 Americans carry the last name Wentzel. That puts it at #8,727 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.21 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 82,871 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Wentzel 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 82,871
Census rank
#8,727
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,607 bearers of the surname Wentzel in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.21 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8727th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Wentzel, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Hispanic (2.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Wentzel
Among Census respondents with the surname Wentzel, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Hispanic (2.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Wentzel 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 Wentzel surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.7% · 3,343
- Two or more races3.3% · 120
- Hispanic or Latino2.3% · 82
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 41
- Black or African American0.4% · 14
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Wentzel
Wentzel 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
#8,894
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,681
+32 bearers (+0.9%)
Per 100,000 1.25
Rank movement Down 551 places
2020
#8,727
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,607
-74 bearers (-2.0%)
Per 100,000 1.21
Rank movement Up 167 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,343 | 3,649 | 1.35 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,894 | 3,681 | 1.25 | +32 bearers (+0.9%) | Down 551 places |
| 2020 | #8,727 | 3,607 | 1.21 | -74 bearers (-2.0%) | Up 167 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 Wentzel 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 | #8,894 | #8,727 | 1.9% |
| Count | 3,681 | 3,607 | -2.0% |
| Per 100K | 1.25 | 1.21 | -3.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Wentzel bearers went from 3,681 to 3,607 (-2.0% change). The surname moved up 167 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,894 to #8,727.
FAQ
Wentzel surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Wentzel?
Name Census estimates that about 4,136 living Americans carry the surname Wentzel. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 82,871 residents.
How common is Wentzel?
Wentzel ranks #8,727 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.21 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 3,607 people with the surname Wentzel. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,136), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.21 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.21 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 Wentzel.
Has Wentzel become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Wentzel went from 3,681 recorded bearers to 3,607. That is a decrease of 74 (-2.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #8,894 to #8,727.
What does the Census say about the background of Wentzel?
Among Census respondents with the surname Wentzel, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Hispanic (2.3%). 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 Wentzel in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.7% (3,343 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Wentzel appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.7%), Two or More Races (3.3%), Hispanic (2.3%). 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 Wentzel (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 Wentzel mean?
Derived from a Germanic personal name composed of the elements "wand" meaning "wanderer" and "hild" meaning "battle". 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 Wentzel (1.21 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 Wentzel?
If you just want to know how many people have the last name Wentzel, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.