Wunderlich
A German surname meaning “strange” or “wonderful,” originally used as a descriptive nickname.
The #9,068 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 85,667 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Wunderlich comes from German wunderlich, an adjective meaning “odd,” “strange,” or “capricious,” and in some older senses also “wonderful” or “marvelous.” It is formed from Wunder (“wonder,” “marvel”) plus the adjectival ending -lich (“-ly, -like”). As a surname, it most likely began as a nickname for someone with an unusual manner or temperament.
History
The name is well attested in German-speaking areas and was treated by 19th-century surname writers as a straightforward descriptive name. It also appears in older onomastic lists of German surnames and in English-language references as a German form meaning “strange.” In the United States it is comparatively uncommon but has been carried by German immigrant families and their descendants.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The surname is transparent enough that an old onomastic source glossed it simply as “Wonderful.”
From the historical record
“district called Waalwijk ? {v. Uitenhagen.) WUNDERLICH (©.), Wonderful. WYBORNE (Q^.), Wylborne, Well spring or hrooJc. WIJCK, van (?D.), of Wijh ; i. e., Quarter or Parish. WIJDOOGEN (ID.), Large eyes. {v. le Borgne and Malavista.) WYKEHAM [(B-), Marsh hoine? Wic, a marsh. WIJMANS (tH.), Hunter's, (v. Jager and…”
— Surnames