Boy · #8,947 in 2026

Wendel

Wendel is a given name and surname. Notable people with the name include:

  • Dutch
  • German
  • Portuguese
Current Rank
#8,947
Peak Rank
#952 (1940)
Total Babies
2K
5-Yr Trend
Stable
1911
First Year
2024
Last Year
1940
Peak Year
#952
Peak Rank
2K
Total Count
106
Years Active

Meaning & Origin of Wendel

What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.

Wendel is a given name and surname. Notable people with the name include:

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →

Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)

  • Dutch
  • German
  • Portuguese

The Story of Wendel

The earliest SSA record of Wendel as a baby boy name dates back to 1911, when 5 babies received it. 1940 was its biggest year on record, with 45 newborns named Wendel — #952 in the national rankings. Wendel last appeared in the published SSA data in 2024, with 8 recorded births — it has not charted nationally since. All told, over 2K Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1910s to the 2020s.

Popularity Over Time

Popularity by State

ME
WA
MT
ND
MN
WI
MI
NY
VT
NH
MA
OR
ID
SD
IA
IL
IN
OH
PA
NJ
CT
RI
CA
NV
WY
NE
MO
KY
WV
VA
MD
DE
DC
UT
CO
KS
AR
TN
NC
SC
AK
AZ
NM
OK
LA
MS
AL
GA
HI
TX
FL
Top 10
11-50
51-100
101-500
500+
No data

Names that sound like Wendel

Phonetically similar names — useful when Wendel is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.

Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.

Frequently Asked Questions about Wendel

What does the name Wendel mean?
Wendel is a given name and surname. Notable people with the name include:
What is the origin of the name Wendel?
Wendel has roots in the following cultural and linguistic traditions: Dutch, German, Portuguese.
How popular is Wendel in 2026?
In 2026, Wendel ranks #8,947 among boys' names in the U.S., with 8 babies given the name that year.
When was Wendel most popular?
Wendel reached its peak popularity in 1940, ranking #952 that year with 45 babies given the name.
In which U.S. states is Wendel most popular?
Wendel has historically been most popular in Wisconsin, Indiana, Missouri. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Wendel.
Is Wendel a unisex name?
In U.S. Social Security records, Wendel is primarily a boy's name. We don't have meaningful data for it as a girl's name.
What names go well with Wendel?
Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Wendel include Rolla, Gerhardt, Arvo. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.

About the name Wendel

Wendel is a boy baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1911 and has accumulated 2K births in the dataset. Wendel's peak popularity came in 1940 when it ranked #952. Use the chart and map above to compare Wendel's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.

Continue exploring

Data sources

  • Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
  • Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
  • Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
  • Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
  • Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .

Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.