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

Wessel, 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 Wessel surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Wessel in America

Wessel is the 5262nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Wessel surname appeared 6,630 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Wessel.

We can also compare 2010 data for Wessel 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 Wessel

The surname WESSEL is of German origin, with roots dating back to the Middle Ages. It is believed to have originated from the Low German word "wessel," which means "hostage" or "pledge." This name may have been given to someone who was held as a hostage or who served as a pledge in a legal transaction or agreement.

The earliest recorded instances of the WESSEL surname can be traced back to the 13th century in various parts of Germany, particularly in the regions of Lower Saxony and Westphalia. One notable historical reference is found in the Bremisches Urkundenbuch, a collection of medieval documents from the city of Bremen, which mentions a person named "Johannes Wessel" in 1299.

In the 14th century, the WESSEL name appeared in the town of Wesel, located in the Lower Rhine region of Germany. This place name may have influenced the spelling and pronunciation of the surname in that area. Additionally, the spelling variations "Wessell" and "Wessele" were also common during this time period.

One of the most famous individuals bearing the WESSEL surname was Johannes Wessel (c. 1420-1489), a Dutch philosopher, theologian, and humanist scholar. He was a prominent figure in the intellectual and religious circles of his time and is considered a forerunner of the Protestant Reformation.

Other notable figures with the WESSEL surname include:

1. Caspar Wessel (1745-1818), a Norwegian mathematician and cartographer, known for his contributions to the development of vector analysis and the introduction of the complex number plane.

2. Johann Rudolf Wessel (1663-1730), a German composer and organist who served as the court Kapellmeister in Wolfenbüttel and Kassel.

3. Gerd Wessel (1913-1989), a German U-boat commander during World War II, credited with sinking several Allied ships in the Battle of the Atlantic.

4. Theodor Wessel (1776-1856), a German writer and translator, best known for his translations of works by William Shakespeare and Walter Scott.

5. August Ferdinand Wessel (1782-1854), a German jurist and legal scholar, who served as a professor of law at the University of Heidelberg.

While the WESSEL surname has its roots in Germany, it has since spread to other parts of Europe and beyond, carried by individuals and families who migrated or settled in different regions over the centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Wessel

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

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

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

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