Boys' name · since 1918

Wendal

194 babies named Wendal in U.S. Social Security records since 1918, with the highest year being 1955. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.

#13,170 of 45,481
all-time among boys
194
born since 1918
1960s
peak decade

Wendal sits outside today's top ranks for boys, with 194 recorded since 1918.

Wendal has 194 recorded births among boys since 1918, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, though it falls outside today's most-used boys names, busiest in the 1960s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1918 to 1987.

  • #13,170 of 45,481 all-time among boys
  • 194 born since 1918
  • 1960s peak decade

Data updated Aug 2026

The verdict

According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Wendal ranks #13,170 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first). 194 born since 1918, peaking in the 1960s.

#13,170 of 45,481
all-time among boys
194
born since 1918
1960s
peak decade
Below the archive median
All-time archive position

Wendal's 194 recorded births place it above 71.03% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.

National only
State-record footprint

No state rows cleared SSA’s public reporting threshold for this name.

Wendal's usage pattern, beyond the headline number

Wendal splits its recorded history at 1953: 50% of all births land in the more recent half, 50% in the earlier half, an evenly balanced pattern over time. The single quietest year was 1919 (5 births) -- compare that against the 1955 peak of 11 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.

Wendal popularity over time

Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1918–1987

Last recorded 1987
Peak year (1955)
11
Annual births at peak, across 70 years of records
4681012 191819231931193819551960196419711987 5

Wendal by decade

1960s is the heaviest window (51 births, 26% of the file).

1960s was Wendal's strongest decade.

51 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 26% of all-time use.

Wendal births by decade

Total births in each ten-year window

births

What this shows Peak: 1960s at 51 births (26% of all-time use).

Source U.S. Social Security Administration · Baby Names As of August 2026

Frequently Asked Questions

How popular is the name Wendal? ▼
Wendal has been given to 194 babies in the U.S. since 1918, according to SSA data. Its archive ordinal is #13,170 of 45,481 among boys' names (total births, highest first). Its last appearance in the data was 1987. 11 babies were born in 1955, its single highest year.
Where does Wendal sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Wendal ranks #13,170 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first). All-time ordinal matches browse popularity (total births DESC); the current ordinal uses the null SSA file. See /methodology#corpus-placement.
When was Wendal most popular? ▼
Wendal was most popular in the 1960s decade with 51 total births. The single peak year was 1955.
How long has the name Wendal been used? ▼
The SSA has tracked Wendal since 1918 -- 70 years through the most recent 1987 data.
What names are similar to Wendal? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Wendell, Wendall, Wendel, Wendy, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.

What to do with Wendal's data

  • Wendal's decade-level peak was the 1960s (51 total births); usage has since declined to 5 in the 1980s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.

Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.

Keep exploring Wendal

Nearby Names Like Wendal

Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Wendal

Wendell Boy
#2147 53,763 births
Wendall Boy
#8945 2,433 births
Wendel Boy
#12073 2,147 births
Wendy Boy
951 births
Wenceslao Boy
332 births

Compare Wendal side by side: Wendal vs Wendell Wendal vs Wendall Wendal vs Wendel

Or pick any two names to compare →

Related Names

Names with a similar number of total births

Murvin
194 births · Peak 1922
Herndon
194 births · Peak 1920
Masayuki
194 births · Peak 1920
Kotaro
194 births · Peak 2010
Leary
194 births · Peak 1926
Liandro #6501
194 births · Peak 2020
Jilberto
194 births · Peak 1990
Ronrico
194 births · Peak 1975

Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span

Two nationwide peer axes for Wendal: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.

Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.

Data Sources

Data as of August 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).

According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.

Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1918–1987 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).

State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).

Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Wendal draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.