Boys' name · since 1880
Wendell
Wendell has 53,763 recorded births since 1880 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1940 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #484 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #2,147 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 53,763
- born since 1880
- 1950s
- peak decade
Yes -- Wendell is the #2147 most popular boys' name in the U.S. today, with 53,763 recorded since 1880.
Wendell has 53,763 recorded births among boys since 1880, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #2147 as of the latest data, more common than 85% of boys, busiest in the 1950s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #484 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #2,147 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 53,763 born since 1880
- 1950s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Wendell ranks #484 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #2,147 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 53,763 born since 1880, peaking in the 1950s.
- #484 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #2,147 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 53,763
- born since 1880
- 1950s
- peak decade
Wendell's 53,763 recorded births place it above 98.93% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
48 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by Texas.
How Wendell compares
53,763 Top 4% higher than 96% 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
Wendell's all-time total is 146x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Wendell | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 53,763 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 1,625 | 34 | 22,252 |
Wendell's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Wendell's full recorded timeline at 1953, 49% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 51% in the earlier half -- a fairly even split across the full record. Its quietest year on record was 1889, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1940 peak of 1,625 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Wendell popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1940)
- 1,625
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Wendell popularity over time - girls
567 total births recorded since 1913 (Wendell as girls' name)
Wendell by decade
1950s is the heaviest window (9,904 births, 18% of the file).
1950s was Wendell's strongest decade.
9,904 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 18% of all-time use.
Wendell births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 83
1880s
83 births
- 1890s 182
1890s
182 births
- 1900s 366
1900s
366 births
- 1910s 3,431
1910s
3,431 births
- 1920s
1920s
6,226 births
- 1930s
1930s
6,217 births
- 1940s
1940s
8,378 births
- 1950s
1950s
9,904 births
- 1960s
1960s
8,968 births
- 1970s 3,714
1970s
3,714 births
- 1980s 2,615
1980s
2,615 births
- 1990s 1,555
1990s
1,555 births
- 2000s 904
2000s
904 births
- 2010s 731
2010s
731 births
- 2020s 489
2020s
489 births
What this shows Peak: 1950s at 9,904 births (18% of all-time use).
How Wendell 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 Wendell's total volume
Wendell by state
Where Wendell concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Texas | | 3,336 | 6.2% |
| #2 | Georgia | | 2,807 | 5.2% |
| #3 | Kentucky | | 2,733 | 5.1% |
| #4 | Illinois | | 2,647 | 4.9% |
| #5 | Ohio | | 2,256 | 4.2% |
| #6 | California | | 2,125 | 4.0% |
| #7 | Tennessee | | 1,922 | 3.6% |
| #8 | Pennsylvania | | 1,853 | 3.4% |
3,336 of 53,763 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 48 reporting states.
Wendell appears in 48 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Wendell? ▼
Where does Wendell sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Wendell most popular? ▼
Where is Wendell most popular? ▼
How long has the name Wendell been used? ▼
What names are similar to Wendell? ▼
What to do with Wendell's data
- Wendell's decade-level peak was the 1950s (9,904 total births); usage has since declined to 489 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- Texas records the most Wendells (3,336 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 Wendell
Nearby Names Like Wendell
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Wendell
Compare Wendell side by side: Wendell vs Wendall Wendell vs Wendel Wendell vs Wendy
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Wendell
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Wendell: 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 (~145 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, 1880–2025 (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 Wendell 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.