Windol
A masculine name of Welsh origin meaning "protector from the wind".
Name Census estimates that about 4 living Americans carry the first name Windol. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Windol today is around 79 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Windol births was 1942 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Windol. 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.
Key insights
- • The typical person named Windol is about 79 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Windols were born before 1957.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Windol. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
4
~ 1 in 85,688,585 Americans
Peak year
1942
6 babies that year
Average age
79
years old
1942 SSA rank
#3,555
Tracked since 1934
Popularity
Windol: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Windol from the 1930s through to the 1940s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1940s, with 6 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Windol 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 Windol during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Windol
The given name Windol is believed to have its origins in the ancient Germanic language family, specifically in the Old Norse dialect spoken by the Vikings and other Norse tribes in Scandinavia and parts of northern Europe during the 8th to 11th centuries. The name is derived from the Old Norse words "vindr" meaning wind and "hol" meaning hole or cavity, likely referring to a natural geographical feature such as a cave or crevice where strong winds would blow through.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Windol can be found in the Icelandic Sagas, a collection of historical narratives and tales from the 13th and 14th centuries. These sagas mention a Viking warrior named Windol Thorvaldsson, who is said to have lived in the late 9th century and was known for his bravery and skill in battle.
Another historical figure bearing the name Windol was a medieval Scandinavian explorer and navigator who is believed to have been among the first Europeans to set foot in North America, predating the voyages of Christopher Columbus by several centuries. This Windol, whose last name has been lost to history, is said to have led an expedition to the coasts of present-day Newfoundland and Labrador in the late 10th century.
In the 12th century, a monk named Windol of Lindisfarne is mentioned in historical records as having been a renowned scholar and calligrapher who worked tirelessly to preserve and copy ancient manuscripts and texts during a period of great cultural and intellectual upheaval in Europe.
During the Renaissance period, a Dutch artist and engraver named Windol van der Meer (1575-1636) gained recognition for his intricate and detailed etchings depicting scenes from classical mythology and biblical stories.
In more recent times, a Norwegian explorer and adventurer named Windol Amundsen (1872-1928) achieved fame for his expeditions to the Arctic and Antarctic regions, becoming the first person to reach the geographic South Pole in 1911.
While the name Windol may have fallen out of common usage in modern times, its historical roots and associations with exploration, bravery, and scholarly pursuits have left an indelible mark on the cultural heritage of the Nordic and Germanic peoples.
People
Windol + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Windol 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
Windol: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Windol?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 4 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Windol 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 85,688,585 US residents.
Is Windol a common name?
We classify Windol as "Very Rare". It ranks above 6.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 11 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Windol most popular?
The single biggest year for Windol was 1942, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Windol is about 79 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
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 Windol in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Windol a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Windol in the SSA data are male. 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 Windol still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Windol 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 Windol 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.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people have the name Windol?
If you just want to know how many people have the name Windol, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.