Wendel History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
The roots of the distinguished German surname Wendel lie in the former duchy of Swabia. The name is derived from the personal names "Wand," "Wend," and "Wendel," which are themselves all derived from the Old High German verb "wandern," meaning "to wander." The original bearer of the surname was most likely the son of one named Wendel.
Early Origins of the Wendel family
The surname Wendel was first found in the duchy of Swabia, where it most likely first emerged. The earliest recorded bearer of the name was Hans Wenderl, who was a resident of the town of Weilheim in 1466. The young Wendel family was instrumental in the development of medieval Swabian society, and quickly became one of the prominent families of the region.
Early History of the Wendel family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Wendel research. Another 110 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1466, 1515, 1645, 1709, 1739, 1774 and 1800 are included under the topic Early Wendel History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Wendel Spelling Variations
Spelling variations of this family name include: Wendel, Wandal, Wandel, Wendal, Vandal, Vandel, Vendel and many more.
Early Notables of the Wendel family
Notables with the surname Wendel during this period were
- Christopher Adolph von Wendel (1645-1709), a prominent military officer
- Carl August Wendel (1739-1774), a surgeon living in Denmark
Wendel Ranking
In the United States, the name Wendel is the 6,333rd most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 1
Wendel migration to the United States +
Some of the first settlers of this family name were:
Wendel Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
- Sussanna DuTrieux Wendel, who landed in New Netherland(s) in 1644 2
- Evert Jansen Wendel, who landed in New York in 1648 2
- Evert Wendel, aged 60, who arrived in New York in 1675 2
Wendel Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
- Augustus Wendel, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1732 2
- Philip Wendel, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1732 2
- Caspar Wendel, who landed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1737 2
- Abraham Wendel, who settled in Philadelphia in 1738
- Samuel Wendel, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1747 2
- ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Wendel Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
- Theobald Wendel, who arrived in North America in 1846 2
- Peter Jacob Wendel, who landed in Galveston, Texas in 1846 aboard the ship "Andacia" 2
- Bernard Wendel, aged 32, who arrived in St Louis, Missouri in 1847 2
- Gottfried Wendel, who sailed from Hamburg to Galveston, Texas in 1850
- Gottfried Wendel, who arrived in Galveston, Tex in 1850 2
- ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Wendel migration to Canada +
Some of the first settlers of this family name were:
Wendel Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
- Philipp Wendel, who landed in Canada in 1854
- Johann Wendel, who landed in Canada in 1871
Contemporary Notables of the name Wendel (post 1700) +
- Ben Wendel (b. 1976), Canadian-born, American jazz saxophonist, composer, bassoonist, and pianist
- Elmarie Louise Wendel (b. 1939), American actress, best known for her role as Mrs. Dubcek in the NBC sitcom 3rd Rock from the Sun
- William Bean Wendel (b. 1901), American chemist and professor
- Joseph Wendel (1901-1960), Archbishop of the diocese of Munich and Freising
- Joannes Anthonius Wilhelmus Christophorus Wendel (b. 1936), Dutch admiral
- Warren Wendel Wiersbe (1929-2019), American pastor, Bible teacher, conference speaker and a prolific writer
- Daniel Wendel Imhof (b. 1977), Swiss-born, Canadian footballer
- David Wendel Guion (1892-1981), Texan composer, best known for his arrangements of cowboy tunes
- Wendel Anne Meldrum (b. 1958), Canadian actress, best known for her roles as the "low talker" in the 1993 Seinfeld episode "The Puffy Shirt", and as Miss White/Mrs. Heimer on The Wonder Years.
- Wendel P. Lockard, founder of Lockard Companies, Cedar Falls, IA
Historic Events for the Wendel family +
Bismarck
- Erich Wendel (1916-1941), German Schreibersoberfeldwebel who served aboard the German Battleship Bismarck during World War II when it was sunk heading to France; he died in the sinking 3
Citations +
- "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
- 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)
- Bismarck & Tirpitz Class - Crew List Bismarck. (Retrieved 2018, February 06). Retrieved from https://www.bismarck-class.dk/bismarck/crew/bismarck_crew.html#crew_details