Given name & surname · also Germanic
Wendel
“one who travels; a wanderer”
Wendel is a variant of Wendell. One German interpretation is “one who travels; a wanderer.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
Wendel is a variant of Wendell. One German interpretation is “one who travels; a wanderer.”
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Germanic.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1911. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Wendel through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 2,147
- 2,147 boys · 0 girls
- Most popular year
- 1940
- 45 babies
- 2025
- 5
- #13,792 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +100%
- Rising fast
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 5 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 13,792 among boys’ names. The recent annual counts are too incomplete to establish a ten-year comparison. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 1,483 as a first name in 2020; 5,264 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Wendel’s family of names
In English usage, Wendel has a diminutive in Wendy. Wendel has a related form in Wendell. In German usage, Wendel has a related form in Wendelin.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Wendel has relatives in 3 languages. Lines run from its Proto-Germanic roots to each of them.
6 related names in 3 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 6
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Across languages 1
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
See also 1
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
People named Wendel
- WendelBrazilian footballerborn 1982
- Wendel ClarkCanadian ice hockey playerborn 1966
- Wendel DietterlinGerman artist (1550-1599)
- WendelBrazilian footballerborn 1984
- Wendel SuckowAmerican lugerborn 1967
- Wendel HiplerGerman revolutionary1465–1526
- Wendel BollmanAmerican civil engineer1814–1884
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Wendel, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
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