Wendal
A masculine name of Germanic origin meaning "wanderer" or "wandering spirit".
Name Census estimates that about 98 living Americans carry the first name Wendal. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Wendal today is around 67 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Wendal births was 1955 (11 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Wendal. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • The typical person named Wendal is about 67 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Wendals were born before 1969.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Wendal. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
98
~ 1 in 3,497,493 Americans
Peak year
1955
11 babies that year
Average age
67
years old
1987 SSA rank
#8,104
Tracked since 1918
Census
Wendal in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 244 people with the first name Wendal, which placed it at #33,765 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#33,765
National first-name rank
People counted
244
244 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
68.9% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Wendal
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Wendal is White at 68.9%. The next largest groups are Black (20.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.7%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Wendal 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 name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Wendal at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White68.9% · 168
- Black or African American20.9% · 51
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.7% · 9
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.5% · 6
- Two or more races2.5% · 6
- Hispanic or Latino1.6% · 4
Popularity
Wendal: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Wendal from the 1910s through to the 1980s, spanning 8 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1960s, with 51 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1960s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Wendal by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Wendal during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Wendal
The name Wendal has its origins in the Germanic language and culture, tracing its roots back to the early medieval period. It is derived from the Old Germanic "Wendan," meaning "to wander" or "to travel." This suggests that the name was initially associated with nomadic or wandering tribes within the Germanic regions of Europe.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Wendal can be found in the Nibelungenlied, an epic poem from the 13th century. It mentions a character named Wendal, though the specifics of their role are not entirely clear. This literary reference provides evidence of the name's usage during the Middle Ages.
In the 9th century, a Frankish nobleman named Wendal served as a courtier under Charlemagne, the famed ruler of the Carolingian Empire. Historical records indicate that Wendal was a trusted advisor and diplomat, playing a significant role in the court of one of the most influential figures of the Middle Ages.
During the 11th century, a monk named Wendal von Bamberg lived in the Benedictine monastery in Bamberg, Germany. He is renowned for his contributions to the monastic community and his dedication to religious studies. His writings and teachings influenced the intellectual and spiritual life of the region during that time.
In the 14th century, Wendal von Bieberstein was a prominent German knight and military commander. He served under various rulers and played a crucial role in several military campaigns and battles. His bravery and strategic prowess were well-documented in contemporary accounts.
Another notable figure with the name Wendal was the 16th-century German artist and printmaker, Wendal Dietterlin. Born in 1550 and active until his death in 1599, he was renowned for his intricate and detailed woodcut designs, which influenced the development of decorative arts during the Renaissance period.
While the name Wendal has Germanic roots, it has been adopted and used across various cultures and regions over the centuries. Its association with wandering and travel has contributed to its enduring appeal and has made it a part of the rich tapestry of human history.
People
Wendal + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Wendal as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with W
Other first names starting with W with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Wendal: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Wendal?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 98 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Wendal going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 3,497,493 US residents.
Is Wendal a common name?
We classify Wendal as "Very Rare". It ranks above 64.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 194 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Wendal most popular?
The single biggest year for Wendal was 1955, when 11 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Wendal is about 67 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Wendal in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 244 people with the name Wendal, or 0.08 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #33,765 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Wendal in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Wendal?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Wendal leans strongly male. 233 people counted with this name were male (95.1%), compared with 12 female bearers (4.9%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Wendal?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Wendal is White at 68.9%. The next largest groups are Black (20.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.7%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Wendal most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Wendal in the 2020 Census, accounting for 68.9% (168 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Wendal in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Wendal a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Wendal in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Wendal still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Wendal in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Wendal can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
How many people are called Wendal?
You can see how many people have the name Wendal on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.