Wendt
A German surname from the old name for a Slavic or Wends-related people, later used widely as a family name.
The #2,838 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 24,288 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Wendt is generally taken from German Wende, the old word for a Wend or Slavic-speaking neighbor, especially the Polabian and other West Slavic peoples known to German speakers. In surname use, it likely began as an ethnic nickname for someone seen as a Wende, or as a marker of origin from a Wends-associated district. The final -t is a common German surname spelling variant.
History
The name is well attested in German-speaking areas and appears in older surname lists alongside forms such as Wende, Wendte, and Wendler. It also entered other countries through German migration, which is why it is found in the United States as well. Because the underlying ethnic term is old and broad, the surname may not point to a single exact tribe or location in every family line.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
In older German usage, 'Wends' was a general label for several Slavic groups, so the surname can reflect a very old ethnic boundary rather than a precise modern nationality.
From the historical record
“Wenham. A loc. n., Suff. Wenlock. A loc. n., Salop Went. D., G., S. Wendt; FI. Vent; Dch. Went; p.n. (a vandal; a native of Jutland) Wentworth. A loc. n., Camb., Yorks”
— British Family Names: their origin and meaning (2nd ed.)