Wendell
Wendell was given to 67 boys in 2025, #2,165 among boys’ names; 54,330 Americans have been recorded with it since 1880 (Social Security Administration, published May 2026).
An estimated 27,600 Americans named Wendell and born in the U.S. are alive in 2026 (51% of everyone recorded); the median is 63 years old and half are between 50 and 72.
Girls and boys together; gaps are years SSA did not record (fewer than 5 births).
Births of Wendell by year: SSA national baby-name file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
What does Wendell mean?
Wiktionary, English section
Wendell is “a male given name from the Germanic languages transferred back from the surname.” Its etymology gives the sense “a Wend” (Wendel-,).
Short form of Germanic compound names beginning with the tribal name Wendel-, “a Wend”.
Meaning: Wiktionary, English section, as of Sep 25, 2026 (CC BY‑SA 4.0).
How popular is Wendell?
#2,165 among boys’ names, 2025
Wendell fell from #1,929 in 2015 to #2,165 in 2025 among boys’ names; its share of boys born fell from 39.7 to 39.2 per million.
1,650 babies in 1940, the peak
Wendell peaked in 1940, when 1,650 babies were given it (1,625 boys, #114 among boys’ names). The 67 births of 2025 are 4% of that peak.
Births by sex.
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 boys |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 67 | #2,165 | 0.04 |
| 2024 | 74 | #2,056 | 0.04 |
| 2023 | 101 | #1,692 | 0.06 |
| 2022 | 96 | #1,749 | 0.05 |
| 2021 | 84 | #1,851 | 0.05 |
| 2020 | 67 | #2,112 | 0.04 |
| 2019 | 78 | #1,914 | 0.04 |
| 2018 | 76 | #1,957 | 0.04 |
| 2017 | 76 | #1,916 | 0.04 |
| 2016 | 90 | #1,738 | 0.05 |
Every recorded year (145)
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 boys |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 76 | #1,929 | 0.04 |
| 2014 | 79 | #1,871 | 0.04 |
| 2013 | 71 | #1,962 | 0.04 |
| 2012 | 72 | #1,980 | 0.04 |
| 2011 | 52 | #2,435 | 0.03 |
| 2010 | 61 | #2,185 | 0.03 |
| 2009 | 73 | #1,957 | 0.04 |
| 2008 | 88 | #1,735 | 0.04 |
| 2007 | 79 | #1,847 | 0.04 |
| 2006 | 96 | #1,550 | 0.05 |
| 2005 | 84 | #1,632 | 0.04 |
| 2004 | 93 | #1,474 | 0.05 |
| 2003 | 90 | #1,463 | 0.05 |
| 2002 | 108 | #1,263 | 0.06 |
| 2001 | 94 | #1,362 | 0.05 |
| 2000 | 99 | #1,310 | 0.05 |
| 1999 | 114 | #1,154 | 0.06 |
| 1998 | 104 | #1,193 | 0.05 |
| 1997 | 117 | #1,085 | 0.06 |
| 1996 | 120 | #1,027 | 0.06 |
| 1995 | 160 | #856 | 0.08 |
| 1994 | 153 | #868 | 0.08 |
| 1993 | 186 | #767 | 0.09 |
| 1992 | 186 | #766 | 0.09 |
| 1991 | 193 | #732 | 0.10 |
| 1990 | 222 | #678 | 0.11 |
| 1989 | 229 | #660 | 0.11 |
| 1988 | 239 | #616 | 0.12 |
| 1987 | 213 | #627 | 0.11 |
| 1986 | 233 | #584 | 0.13 |
| 1985 | 248 | #562 | 0.13 |
| 1984 | 257 | #539 | 0.14 |
| 1983 | 277 | #506 | 0.15 |
| 1982 | 303 | #488 | 0.17 |
| 1981 | 299 | #485 | 0.17 |
| 1980 | 317 | #474 | 0.18 |
| 1979 | 279 | #499 | 0.16 |
| 1978 | 319 | #445 | 0.19 |
| 1977 | 289 | #474 | 0.18 |
| 1976 | 283 | #468 | 0.18 |
| 1975 | 323 | #442 | 0.21 |
| 1974 | 329 | #437 | 0.21 |
| 1973 | 389 | #393 | 0.25 |
| 1972 | 432 | #379 | 0.27 |
| 1971 | 534 | #346 | 0.30 |
| 1970 | 537 | #350 | 0.29 |
| 1969 | 561 | #327 | 0.31 |
| 1968 | 615 | #303 | 0.35 |
| 1967 | 666 | #279 | 0.38 |
| 1966 | 716 | #276 | 0.40 |
| 1965 | 862 | #254 | 0.46 |
| 1964 | 1,014 | #242 | 0.51 |
| 1963 | 1,075 | #228 | 0.53 |
| 1962 | 1,092 | #233 | 0.53 |
| 1961 | 1,220 | #227 | 0.57 |
| 1960 | 1,147 | #238 | 0.54 |
| 1959 | 1,201 | #228 | 0.56 |
| 1958 | 1,188 | #221 | 0.56 |
| 1957 | 1,113 | #227 | 0.52 |
| 1956 | 1,013 | #230 | 0.48 |
| 1955 | 966 | #229 | 0.47 |
| 1954 | 945 | #229 | 0.46 |
| 1953 | 886 | #227 | 0.45 |
| 1952 | 879 | #225 | 0.45 |
| 1951 | 871 | #221 | 0.46 |
| 1950 | 842 | #218 | 0.47 |
| 1949 | 712 | #244 | 0.40 |
| 1948 | 676 | #247 | 0.39 |
| 1947 | 716 | #246 | 0.39 |
| 1946 | 613 | #252 | 0.38 |
| 1945 | 587 | #229 | 0.44 |
| 1944 | 697 | #209 | 0.51 |
| 1943 | 812 | #199 | 0.57 |
| 1942 | 846 | #187 | 0.61 |
| 1941 | 1,094 | #157 | 0.89 |
| 1940 | 1,625 | #114 | 1.4 |
| 1939 | 596 | #206 | 0.54 |
| 1938 | 580 | #212 | 0.52 |
| 1937 | 583 | #206 | 0.55 |
| 1936 | 629 | #196 | 0.61 |
| 1935 | 655 | #194 | 0.63 |
| 1934 | 618 | #199 | 0.60 |
| 1933 | 593 | #200 | 0.60 |
| 1932 | 650 | #197 | 0.62 |
| 1931 | 641 | #203 | 0.62 |
| 1930 | 672 | #202 | 0.61 |
| 1929 | 639 | #206 | 0.59 |
| 1928 | 658 | #206 | 0.59 |
| 1927 | 626 | #213 | 0.56 |
| 1926 | 640 | #216 | 0.58 |
| 1925 | 682 | #205 | 0.61 |
| 1924 | 633 | #214 | 0.56 |
| 1923 | 617 | #210 | 0.56 |
| 1922 | 600 | #221 | 0.55 |
| 1921 | 587 | #227 | 0.53 |
| 1920 | 544 | #232 | 0.51 |
| 1919 | 473 | #242 | 0.48 |
| 1918 | 519 | #232 | 0.51 |
| 1917 | 466 | #235 | 0.50 |
| 1916 | 515 | #213 | 0.58 |
| 1915 | 490 | #213 | 0.58 |
| 1914 | 350 | #227 | 0.53 |
| 1913 | 243 | #243 | 0.47 |
| 1912 | 212 | #242 | 0.49 |
| 1911 | 94 | #270 | 0.42 |
| 1910 | 69 | #301 | 0.36 |
| 1909 | 50 | #329 | 0.30 |
| 1908 | 63 | #271 | 0.41 |
| 1907 | 42 | #330 | 0.29 |
| 1906 | 40 | #329 | 0.30 |
| 1905 | 31 | #383 | 0.23 |
| 1904 | 32 | #359 | 0.25 |
| 1903 | 22 | #450 | 0.18 |
| 1902 | 38 | #316 | 0.31 |
| 1901 | 18 | #465 | 0.17 |
| 1900 | 30 | #418 | 0.20 |
| 1899 | 22 | #401 | 0.21 |
| 1898 | 23 | #416 | 0.19 |
| 1897 | 24 | #391 | 0.21 |
| 1896 | 18 | #498 | 0.15 |
| 1895 | 23 | #413 | 0.20 |
| 1894 | 21 | #418 | 0.18 |
| 1893 | 11 | #648 | 0.10 |
| 1892 | 21 | #421 | 0.17 |
| 1891 | 8 | #762 | 0.08 |
| 1890 | 11 | #628 | 0.10 |
| 1889 | 5 | #1,107 | 0.05 |
| 1888 | 17 | #481 | 0.14 |
| 1887 | 8 | #748 | 0.08 |
| 1886 | 12 | #574 | 0.11 |
| 1885 | 9 | #695 | 0.08 |
| 1884 | 11 | #608 | 0.10 |
| 1883 | 7 | #795 | 0.07 |
| 1881 | 8 | #701 | 0.08 |
| 1880 | 6 | #904 | 0.05 |
Ranks and shares: boys’ names in each year’s SSA file; share of all boys SSA recorded that year.
Is Wendell a boy’s or a girl’s name?
Of the 54,330 Americans recorded as Wendell, 1% are girls and 99% boys. In 2025 it went to 67 boys; SSA lists no girls with it that year (fewer than 5, or none).
Years with fewer than 20 babies given the name are left blank.
Girls and boys named Wendell: the SSA national file counts each sex separately.
How many people are named Wendell, and how old are they?
27,600 alive in 2026, estimated
That is 51% of the 54,330 Americans ever recorded as Wendell. The median Wendell alive today is 63 years old; half are between 50 and 72.
The 2020 Census counted 28,292 people named Wendell (277 women and girls, 28,015 men and boys). SSA’s births carried forward to Census day, April 1, 2020, predict 31,319 born in the U.S. The Census count is 10% below that prediction. Possible reasons: people who give a short form or another name to the Census, and a survival estimate that can run high.
Alive today, by age
Alive today, by generation
| Generation | Born | Alive |
|---|---|---|
| Silent Generation | 1928-1945 | 2,780 |
| Baby Boomers | 1946-1964 | 12,500 |
| Generation X | 1965-1980 | 6,570 |
| Millennials | 1981-1996 | 3,350 |
| Generation Z | 1997-2012 | 1,400 |
| Generation Alpha | 2013-2025 | 1,030 |
An estimate, not a count. SSA’s files count people born in the United States who received a Social Security number, so anyone born abroad is not in them; before 1937 most people got a number as adults, and their survival is counted from that age.
Living estimate: SSA births carried forward with the survival rates in SSA’s cohort life tables (2024 Trustees Report) for each birth year and sex. How the estimate is made. Count: Census Bureau, first names in the 2020 Census (released April 14, 2026; names reported 100 or more times, with the Bureau’s disclosure-avoidance adjustment).
Where are babies named Wendell born?
The states with the most babies named Wendell are Texas, Georgia and Kentucky, with 18% of its births recorded by state since 1910; Kentucky is not among the ten states with the most births.
| State | Since 1910 | Rank, boys | vs. national |
|---|---|---|---|
| Texas | 3,336 | not ranked | 1.0× |
| Georgia | 2,807 | not ranked | 1.9× |
| Kentucky | 2,733 | not ranked | 2.4× |
| Illinois | 2,647 | not ranked | 0.9× |
| Ohio | 2,256 | not ranked | 0.8× |
| California | 2,125 | #2,193 | 0.5× |
| Tennessee | 1,922 | not ranked | 1.5× |
| Pennsylvania | 1,853 | not ranked | 0.5× |
| New York | 1,800 | not ranked | 0.4× |
| Michigan | 1,697 | not ranked | 0.8× |
Where Wendell is more common than its national share predicts
Relative to its national share, Wendell is most over-represented in Hawaii: since 1910 it was given 2.4 times as often there as its national share each year would predict.
States: SSA state file, 1910-2025, published May 8, 2026; births count girls and boys together, and the rank is among boys’ names in the state in 2025. The file leaves out any state and year with fewer than 5 babies of the name, so small states are undercounted; each ratio compares the state’s births of Wendell with the births its national share predicts year by year, for states with at least 100 births of the name.
Names spelled alike
Of these 4 names spelled alike, given to 59,110 babies since 1880, Wendell is the most given (92% of them). In 2025 it was given to 67 of their 80 babies (84%), again the most given.
Spelled alike: names in the SSA national file with the same pattern of letters and sounds and at most two letters apart, and Wiktionary’s listed forms; births since 1880 and in 2025, and each name’s peak year, from the SSA national file, published May 8, 2026. Some are separate names, not spellings of one.
Names that rose and fell in the same decades as Wendell
Names whose births rose and fell across the same decades, measured on each decade’s share of births.
Similar histories: each decade’s share of births, from the SSA national file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
More about Wendell and names like it
- Compare Wendell and WendallBirths, ranks, peak and the living estimate side by side.
- The most given names of the 1940sWendell peaked in 1940.
- Texas’s most given namesThe state where SSA recorded the most babies named Wendell since 1910.
- Germanic namesWiktionary’s origin for Wendell: every such name, by how often it is given.
- The top names of 1940The year the most babies were named Wendell.
- The names of the Baby BoomersMost people named Wendell alive today were born 1946-1964.
- Names starting with WMost given first.