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Name Lineage

    The first name Wendell

    A boy’s name meaning “a wend”.

    2 syllables Male Also a surname

    Meaning and origin

    Wendell means “a wend”.

    Short form of Germanic compound names beginning with the tribal name Wendel-, "a Wend".

    From Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).

    Popularity in the United States

    Babies named Wendell at birth, 1880–2025

    In 2025, 67 boys born in the United States were named Wendell, the 2,165th most popular boys’ name that year. It was used most in 1940, when 1,625 were.

    01,0002,000 188018851890189519001905191019151920192519301935194019451950195519601965197019751980198519901995200020052010201520202025
    54,330
    babies named Wendell since 1880
    #2,165
    rank in 2025
    1940
    peak year

    US Social Security Administration, from applications for a Social Security card. A name is only published for a year when at least five babies were given it, so quieter years show as zero.

    Famous people named Wendell

    29 on Wikidata, most written-about first

    • Wendell Meredith Stanley
      American biochemist and virologist, winner of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry (1946)
    • Oliver Wendell Holmes
      American poet and physician (1809–1894)
    • Oliver Wendell Holmes
      American jurist (1841–1935); US Supreme Court justice from 1902 to 1932
    • Wendell Willkie
      American lawyer and corporate executive (1892–1944)
    • Wendell Berry
      American writer, activist, and poet from Kentucky (1934-2026)
    • Wendell Nascimento Borges
      Brazilian footballer, born 1993
    • Wendell Pierce
      American actor and businessman, born 1963
    • Wendell Phillips
      American abolitionist, advocate for Native Americans, orator and lawyer (1811-1884)
    • Wendell Corey
      American actor (1914–1968)
    • Wendell Ford
      American politician (1924–2015)
    • Wendell R. Anderson
      American politician (1933-2016)
    • Wendell Carter Jr.
      American basketball player (born 1999)

    Questions

    What does the name Wendell mean?
    Wendell means “a wend”.
    Is Wendell a boy's or a girl's name?
    Mostly a boy's name: 99% of the 54,330 US babies named Wendell since 1880 were boys.
    When was Wendell most popular?
    1940 in the United States, when 1,625 babies were named Wendell, its highest rank at 114th.
    Is Wendell also a surname?
    Yes. Wendell is used as a surname as well as a first name; its surname page has the origin and how many people carry it.