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Wendell

♂ Boy

Pronounced WEHN-duhl /ˈwɛn.dəl/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 (2025)#2165 ↘ Falling

2025 U.S. births67 boys (0.00% of U.S. boys)

Peak year1940

Total births (all-time)≈ 53,763

Popularity in the U.S. · SSA data

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

SSA data updated May 2026. How we source & verify this data.

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 Despite the historical reference, it reads simply as a sturdy, old-fashioned English given name.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 — etymology, usage, pronunciation, and related formsU.S. Social Security Administration — 2024 popularity rank and count supplied in the batch input CSV

Variations

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Nicknames

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Famous Bearers

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

If you like Wendell…

Kendall— shares the -ll ending

Darrell— a fellow English choice

Terrell— a similarly popular pick

Tyrell— a similarly popular pick

Axell— lands in the same popularity range

Explore names like Wendell

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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 /ˈwɛn.dəl/.

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.