Show ContentsWenzell History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The surname Wenzell is a patronymic surname; that is, it is derived from the personal name of the original bearer. Patronymic surnames arose out of the vernacular and religious given name traditions. The vernacular or regional naming tradition is the oldest and most pervasive type of patronymic surname. According to this custom, names were originally composed of vocabulary elements from the local language. Vernacular names that were derived from ancient Germanic personal names have cognates in most European languages. For example, the court of Charlemagne (742-814) was Christian and Latin-speaking, but the Frankish dialect of Old German was commonly used for personal names. Vernacular names were also widespread in Germany. As a result, many typical English and French names are of Germanic origin and have cognates in other European languages. In this instance, the surname is derived from the given name Wenzel, a diminutive of the German name Wenze. This personal name is related to the Hungarian name Wenceslas, the 10th century saint immortalized in the Christmas carol Good King Wenceslas.

Early Origins of the Wenzell family

The surname Wenzell was first found in Pomerania, where a member of the family was a knight in 1260. Many important members came from this family, such as Wenzel, a Bohemian king who died in 1305. From Pomerania, members of the family gradually migrated to different areas in Europe, such as Breslau, where the branch Wenczusch was recorded in 1345. The branch Wenczel Schickentanz was recorded in 1365 in Bruenn. A member of the branch Wenzel was an electorate in Sachsen and died in 1388. In 1414, the branch Wenczlab was recorded in Maehren.

Early History of the Wenzell family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Wenzell research. Another 82 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1578, 1769, 1856 and 1868 are included under the topic Early Wenzell History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Wenzell Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Wensel, Wenzel, Wentsel, Wentzel, Wensell, Wenzell, Wentsell, Wentzell, Wenczel, Wenczlab, Wenczusch, Wentzke, Wentske, Wentziehn, Wentzig, Wentzler, Wentze, Ventzke, Ventske, Venceke, Ventzel and many more.

Early Notables of the Wenzell family

More information is included under the topic Early Wenzell Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States Wenzell migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Wenzell Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Nicolaus Wenzell, who arrived in New York, NY in 1782 [1]
Wenzell Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Johan Caspar Wenzell, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1802 [1]
  • Henry Wenzell, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1851 [1]


  1. Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)


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