boy's name
Wendell
WEN-dul
- Origin German
- Gender Boy
- Syllables 2
- Letters 7
- Popularity Uncommon
- Births on record 54,492
Wendell names a people rather than a quality — the Wends were the Slavic populations of eastern Germany, so the name records who someone's neighbors thought they were rather than anything they did. It was an outsider's label, not a self-description.
- Wendell is a name of German origin.
- Peaked in 1940, when 1,650 babies were given the name.
- Its usage has held steady over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 49,483 babies in the United States is given this name.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Wendell over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1880s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 83 |
| 1890s | 182 |
| 1900s | 366 |
| 1910s | 3,440 |
| 1920s | 6,289 |
| 1930s | 6,266 |
| 1940s | 8,498 |
| 1950s | 10,038 |
| 1960s | 9,109 |
| 1970s | 3,740 |
| 1980s | 2,635 |
| 1990s | 1,555 |
| 2000s | 904 |
| 2010s | 736 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 489 |
What Wendell means
Wendell means a Wend, a member of the Slavic peoples of eastern Germany. It is an ethnic byname, so it records origin as seen from outside rather than any personal trait.
Where Wendell comes from
Wendell is a German surname from Wendel, a Wend — the name Germans used for the Slavic peoples living between the Elbe and the Oder. It was an outsider's label rather than a self-description, which is the usual pattern for such words. The wandering gloss often attached to it comes from confusion with wandeln, to walk. Saint Wendelin, an early medieval hermit and shepherd, carried the name into Christian use.
Wendell in use
Wendell peaked in the United States in 1940, when 1,650 babies were registered, and our data marks it stable rather than falling. It charts in exactly one of the six markets we track, at 2158th in the United States on 67 births, across 54,492 lifetime births. Our records carry it from 1880.
How popular is Wendell?
In 2025, Wendell was given to 67 babies in the United States. It is used consistently but remains uncommon.
Where Wendell is used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
Names that peaked alongside Wendell
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Wendell also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Wendell over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
1 nickname for Wendell
Each one is a name in its own right — the figure underneath is how it is doing today, so you can see which short forms are rising and which have faded.
Wendell in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
Sibling names for Wendell
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Wendell — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Wendell
What does the name Wendell mean?
A Wend — one of the Slavic peoples of eastern Germany.
Does it mean wanderer?
No. That comes from confusion with the German wandeln, to walk.
Who were the Wends?
Slavic populations between the Elbe and the Oder, named by their German neighbors.
How popular is Wendell?
2158th in the United States, down from a 1940 peak of 1,650 births.
Is Wendell a girl's or a boy's name?
Wendell is given almost entirely to boys in birth records.
How many syllables are in Wendell?
Wendell has 2 syllables.
What are the nicknames for Wendell?
Wendell is usually shortened to Wendy.
Is Wendell a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Wendell currently ranks #2,158 in the United States. Its usage has held steady over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.