Wendell

WEHN-dul

German, English

"wanderer; to travel, to proceed"

Wendell Origin and Meaning

The name Wendell is a boy's name of German origin meaning "wanderer; to travel, to proceed".

This name has hardly been used since Wendell Willkie ran for president in 1940, and it may not quite be ready for revival yet. Still, clunky grandpa names like Lionel, Douglas, Benedict, Carl, and Melvin have received more attention in recent years, so Wendell can't be ruled out just yet.

Wendell derives from the Dutch and German name, Wendel, which originates from the 5th century Germanic tribe, The Vandals, whose name could mean wanderer . Wendel became Wendell when it was brought over to America by the Dutch, and was notably borne by the 19th century poet Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr.

Well used in the US until the 60s, it last appeared in the Top 1000 in 1995. Recent years however have seen in creep back up in popularity very slightly, with 100 babies given the name in 2023.

With the travel related meaning and clunky sounds, the name might well hold appeal, and a recent pop culture reference might increase that. Wendell Bambleby is a character in Heather Fawcett's popular book series, Emily Wilde who might bring new attention to the name.

Wendell Rank in US Top 1000

# 858 in the US

Wendell Popularity

• 1476 Nameberry 2024
• 685 Unique 2023

20 Names Similar to Wendell

These 20 names were selected by our users that were looking for other names like Wendell.

• Wendel
• Kipling
• Chaucer
• Seymour
• Loewy
• Potter
• Earl
• Randall
• Julien
• Gerald
• Orville
• Melvin
• Hurley
• Elestren
• Ludwig
• Emeric
• Keane
• Maj
• Gilia
• Pastor

Famous People Named Wendell

• Wendell Lewis Willkie American politician
• Wendell Richard "Wendy" Anderson U.S. Senator and 33rd governor of Minnesota
• Wendell Berry American novelist and poet
• Wendell Bryant American football player
• Wendell Burton American actor
• Wendell Hampton Ford U.S. Senator from Kentucky
• Wendell Johnson American psychologist and author
• Wendell Lawrence Bahamian triple jumper
• Wendell H. Murphy American politician from North Carolina
• Wendell Phillips American abolitionist and activist
• Wendell Jermaine Sailor Australian rugby player
• Wendell Meredith Stanley American biochemist
• Wendell Alexis American basketball player
• Wendell Tyrone Davis American NFL football player
• Wendell Marshall American jazz bassist
• Wendell Goler American TV journalist

Wendell in Pop Culture

• Prince Wendell Winston Walter White grandson of Snow White, character in miniseries "The 10th Kingdom"
• Wendell Bray intern on TV's "Bones"
• Wendell Bassett main character on TV's "Wendell and Vinnie"
• Wendell anthropologist in Streets of Night (1923) by John Dos Passos
• Wendell chef mascot for Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal
• Wendell character on TV's "Gamer's Guide to Pretty Much Everything"
• Wendell Wasserman a character from the Nickelodeon cartoon "Welcome To The Wayne"
• Wendell cat from children's book "Wendell" by Eric Jon Nones
• Wendell Hall character, teacher in the 1995 movie "Clueless"
• Wendell 'Bud' White character from L.A. Confidential (1997)