Winnifred
Winnifred is an English feminine name meaning "blessed peacemaker".
Name Census estimates that about 1,122 living Americans carry the first name Winnifred. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Winnifred today is around 45 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Winnifred births was 1918 (166 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Winnifred. 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
1.1K
~ 1 in 305,485 Americans
Peak year
1918
166 babies that year
Average age
45
years old
2024 SSA rank
#2,790
Tracked since 1880
Popularity
Winnifred: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Winnifred from the 1880s through to the 2020s, spanning 15 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 1,275 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1920s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Winnifred 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 Winnifred during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Winnifreds live
The SSA's state-level files cover 27 states and territories. Michigan, Minnesota, Massachusetts recorded the most babies named Winnifred, while South Dakota, New Hampshire, North Carolina recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 59 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Winnifred
The name Winnifred has its origins in the Old English language, deriving from the elements "wyn" meaning joy or delight, and "friðu" meaning peace or protection. It emerged during the Anglo-Saxon period in Britain, which spanned from the 5th to the 11th century.
In its earliest recorded form, the name was spelled "Wynfrið" or "Wynfryð". It was a popular choice among the Anglo-Saxons, particularly in the regions of Wessex and Mercia. The name was believed to hold a symbolic meaning, representing the idea of finding joy and peace under divine protection.
One of the earliest known references to the name can be found in the writings of the Venerable Bede, an 8th-century English monk and historian. He mentions a woman named Winnifred (or Wynfryð) in his ecclesiastical history, though details about her life are scarce.
Throughout the Middle Ages, the name remained in use, though its popularity waxed and waned. It was particularly favored among the Welsh, where it was adapted to the form "Gwenfrewi" or "Gwenffrewi". This version of the name is associated with the 7th-century Welsh saint and martyr, Gwenfrewi, also known as St. Winifred.
In the 12th century, the name gained prominence through the life of Winnifred (or Winfrid), a Benedictine nun and abbess of the monastery at Cookham, Berkshire. Her existence is documented in various chronicles and records of the time.
During the Renaissance period, the name enjoyed a resurgence in popularity, particularly among the English nobility. One notable bearer was Winnifred Pole (1585-1635), a Benedictine nun and the daughter of Margaret Pole, Countess of Salisbury. She was known for her piety and her efforts to establish religious communities in England.
Another prominent figure was Winnifred Cecil (1642-1718), the daughter of Thomas Cecil, 1st Earl of Exeter. She was a prominent figure in the English court and was known for her literary talents and her role in promoting the arts.
In the 19th century, the name gained widespread popularity, with several notable bearers emerging. One example is Winnifred Emery (1834-1918), an English author and educator who wrote extensively on the education of young children.
As the name Winnifred continued to be used throughout the centuries, it underwent various spelling variations, such as Winifred, Wynfryd, and Gwynfryd, reflecting the linguistic and cultural influences of different regions and time periods.
People
Winnifred + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Winnifred 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
Winnifred: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Winnifred?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,122 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Winnifred 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 305,485 US residents.
Is Winnifred a common name?
We classify Winnifred as "Rare". It ranks above 90.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 5,056 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Winnifred most popular?
The single biggest year for Winnifred was 1918, when 166 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Winnifred is about 45 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Winnifred a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Winnifred 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.
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.