Boys' name · since 1911
Wendel
2,147 babies named Wendel in U.S. Social Security records since 1911, with the highest year being 1940. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #3,157 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #12,073 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 2,147
- born since 1911
- 1950s
- peak decade
Yes -- Wendel is the #12073 most popular boys' name in the U.S. today, with 2,147 recorded since 1911.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Wendel has been recorded 2,147 times among boys since 1911, currently ranked #12073 nationally and more common than 13% of boys, with its heaviest use in the 1950s. This profile covers year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution, all derived directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1911 to 2025.
- #3,157 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #12,073 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 2,147 born since 1911
- 1950s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Wendel ranks #3,157 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #12,073 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 2,147 born since 1911, peaking in the 1950s.
- #3,157 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #12,073 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 2,147
- born since 1911
- 1950s
- peak decade
Wendel's 2,147 recorded births place it above 93.05% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
9 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by Texas.
How Wendel compares
2,147 Top 21% higher than 79% of 13,930 names currently given to boys
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked boys names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Wendel's all-time total is 6x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Wendel | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 2,147 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 45 | 34 | 22,252 |
Wendel's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Divide Wendel's SSA record in two at 1964 and the more recent half accounts for 33% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 67%, consistent with a name more common in the past than in recent years. Its calmest year was 1911, with only 5 births recorded -- set against the 1940 peak of 45, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.
Wendel popularity over time
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1911–2025
- Peak year (1940)
- 45
- Annual births at peak, across 115 years of records
Wendel by decade
1950s is the heaviest window (344 births, 16% of the file).
1950s was Wendel's strongest decade.
344 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 16% of all-time use.
Wendel births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1910s
1910s
140 births
- 1920s
1920s
243 births
- 1930s
1930s
294 births
- 1940s
1940s
297 births
- 1950s
1950s
344 births
- 1960s
1960s
266 births
- 1970s
1970s
218 births
- 1980s 131
1980s
131 births
- 1990s 71
1990s
71 births
- 2000s 55
2000s
55 births
- 2010s 50
2010s
50 births
- 2020s 38
2020s
38 births
What this shows Peak: 1950s at 344 births (16% of all-time use).
How Wendel compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 boys names closest to Wendel's total volume
Wendel by state
Where Wendel concentrates geographically, total births since 1911
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Texas | | 80 | 3.7% |
| #2 | California | | 16 | 0.7% |
| #3 | Illinois | | 11 | 0.5% |
| #4 | Missouri | | 6 | 0.3% |
| #5 | Indiana | | 5 | 0.2% |
| #6 | Kentucky | | 5 | 0.2% |
| #7 | Michigan | | 5 | 0.2% |
| #8 | Ohio | | 5 | 0.2% |
80 of 2,147 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 9 reporting states.
Wendel appears in 9 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Wendel? ▼
Where does Wendel sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Wendel most popular? ▼
Where is Wendel most popular? ▼
How long has the name Wendel been used? ▼
What names are similar to Wendel? ▼
What to do with Wendel's data
- Wendel's decade-level peak was the 1950s (344 total births); usage has since declined to 38 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- Texas records the most Wendels (80 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. Texas names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Wendel
Nearby Names Like Wendel
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Wendel
Compare Wendel side by side: Wendel vs Wendell Wendel vs Wendall Wendel vs Wendy
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Wendel
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Wendel: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1940)
Similar record span (~114 yrs)
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, 1911–2025 (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 Wendel 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.