Windi
A feminine name of unknown origin, possibly meaning "blowing wind".
Name Census estimates that about 413 living Americans carry the first name Windi. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Windi today is around 50 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Windi births was 1973 (34 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Windi. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
413
~ 1 in 829,914 Americans
Peak year
1973
34 babies that year
Average age
50
years old
1994 SSA rank
#15,694
Tracked since 1962
Census
Windi in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 462 people with the first name Windi, which placed it at #21,817 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#21,817
National first-name rank
People counted
462
462 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.2
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
79.0% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Windi
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Windi is White at 79.0%. The next largest groups are Black (7.1%) and Two or More Races (5.2%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Windi described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Windi at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White79.0% · 365
- Black or African American7.1% · 33
- Two or more races5.2% · 24
- Hispanic or Latino4.8% · 22
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.2% · 15
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 3
Popularity
Windi: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Windi from the 1960s through to the 1990s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1970s, with 276 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1970s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Windi by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Windi during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Windis live
Origin
Meaning and history of Windi
The given name Windi is believed to have originated from the Old Germanic language, with its roots tracing back to the early medieval period around the 5th to 8th centuries. The name is thought to be derived from the Proto-Germanic word "windan," which means "to wind" or "to turn," possibly referring to the winding nature of a river or path. In some regions, it may have been associated with the wind itself.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Windi can be found in the Frankish Annals, a collection of historical chronicles from the Carolingian period. It mentions a noblewoman named Windi who lived in the 9th century and was involved in a dispute over land ownership. However, the details surrounding her life and the broader context of the name's usage remain largely obscure.
During the Middle Ages, the name Windi was occasionally used in various parts of Europe, particularly in Germanic regions. One notable figure bearing this name was Windi of Saxony, a minor nobleman who lived in the 11th century and was known for his involvement in local politics and disputes with neighboring lords.
In the 13th century, a famous poet and scholar named Windi von Rothenburg gained recognition for his contributions to the German literary tradition. His poems and writings frequently explored themes of nature, love, and the complexities of human existence.
Another significant figure was Windi von Strasbourg, a prominent architect and stonemason who lived in the late 14th century. He was responsible for the design and construction of several notable buildings, including the iconic Strasbourg Cathedral, which is renowned for its intricate Gothic architecture.
In the realm of religion, there is a record of a nun named Windi von Köln who lived in the 15th century and was known for her piety and devotion to charitable works. She was highly regarded within her religious community and is said to have inspired many with her selfless acts of kindness.
It is worth noting that while the name Windi has been used throughout history, it has never been particularly widespread or common. Nevertheless, these examples illustrate the name's enduring presence across various regions and time periods, often associated with individuals of notable achievements or standing within their respective communities.
People
Windi + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Windi as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with W
Other first names starting with W with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Windi: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Windi?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 413 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Windi going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 829,914 US residents.
Is Windi a common name?
We classify Windi as "Very Rare". It ranks above 82.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 458 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Windi most popular?
The single biggest year for Windi was 1973, when 34 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Windi is about 50 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Windi in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 462 people with the name Windi, or 0.15 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #21,817 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Windi in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Windi?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Windi leans strongly female. 457 people counted with this name were female (97.9%), compared with 10 male bearers (2.1%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Windi?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Windi is White at 79.0%. The next largest groups are Black (7.1%) and Two or More Races (5.2%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Windi most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Windi in the 2020 Census, accounting for 79.0% (365 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Windi in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Windi a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Windi in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Windi still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Windi in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Windi can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
How common is the name Windi?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the name Windi at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.