Home β€Ί Baby Names Directory β€Ί Wendell

Wendell

β™‚ Boy

Pronounced WEHN-duhl /ˈwΙ›n.dΙ™l/Medium

Meaning: A VandalMedium

In 30 seconds: Wendell is an English name whose meaning is 'a Vandal', referring to the ancient Germanic Vandal people.
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Origin MediumEnglish
MeaningA Vandal
U.S. rank (2024)#2068 β†˜ Falling
2024 U.S. births73 boys (0.00% of U.S. boys)
Peak year1940
Total births (all-time)β‰ˆ 53,696

Popularity in the U.S. Β· SSA data

peak 194018802024

U.S. births per year (Social Security Administration, 1880–present). Pink marker = peak year.

History & Origin

It points back to the name of the Vandals, a Germanic people of late antiquity, and the name traveled into English use from that Germanic source. Despite the historical reference, it reads simply as a sturdy, old-fashioned English given name.

Wendell has a warm, two-syllable sound with a soft double-l ending. Bearers include Nobel laureate biochemist Wendell Meredith Stanley and actor Wendell Corey of Rear Window.

Did you know? Wendell likely reached first-name use through a surname or place-name route, which gives it that modern borrowed-from-history feel.
Overall data confidence 78%
Behind the Name - Wendell β€” etymology, usage, pronunciation, and related formsU.S. Social Security Administration β€” 2024 popularity rank and count supplied in the batch input CSV

Variations

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Nicknames

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Famous Bearers

  • β˜…Wendell Meredith Stanley (1904–1971)
    American biochemist, co-recipient of the 1946 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.
  • β˜…Wendell Corey (1914–1968)
    American actor and politician, appeared in Rear Window and other films.

Frequently Asked

What does the name Wendell mean?

Wendell is usually explained as meaning 'a Vandal' and is most often linked with English tradition.

How do you pronounce Wendell?

It's commonly said WEHN-duhl /ˈwΙ›n.dΙ™l/.

Is Wendell a boy or girl name?

In this batch and in recent U.S. usage data, Wendell is used as a boy name.

How popular is Wendell?

In 2024, Wendell ranked #2068 in the U.S. for boys, with 73 births recorded.