Wendell
A surname that may have begun as a Dutch word for “walker” or as a local name tied to a place near the River Wandle.
The #8,244 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 76,802 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The name has more than one plausible explanation. One early source derives it from Dutch wandelaar, meaning “walker” or “traveler,” which would make it an occupational or nickname-like surname. Another possibility is a local English origin from the River Wandle in Surrey, with the surname formed from the place-name rather than a personal trait.
History
The name appears in 19th-century surname lists in both the spellings Wendell and Wendall, suggesting some variation in use. Later compilers also treated it as related to Germanic roots meaning “to turn” or “to change,” but that explanation is less secure for the surname as used in English-speaking records. In the United States, Wendell is established but relatively uncommon.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
One Victorian surname writer explicitly glossed Wendell as “common,” which is a good reminder that some now-unfamiliar names were once quite ordinary.
From the historical record
“well-known Thane of Fife. WENDELL. (Dutch.) Wandelaar, a walker, hence a travel- er. The name may be local, and derived from Wandle, a river in Surrey, England. WENTWORTH. Local The Worth, farm, or place, on the river Went, in Northumberland, England. WERDEN. (Grer.) Local. From Wehr, a fortification, and den, a…”
— An Etymological Dictionary of Family and Christian Names