Winsel
An English masculine name of obscure meaning, potentially derived from a Germanic source.
Name Census estimates that about 0 living Americans carry the first name Winsel. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Winsel today is around 0 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Winsel births was 1922 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Winsel. 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
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Winsel. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
0
~ - Americans
Peak year
1922
5 babies that year
Average age
-
1922 SSA rank
#4,956
Tracked since 1922
Popularity
Winsel: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Winsel 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 Winsel during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1920s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Winsel
The name Winsel is believed to have originated in the Germanic languages, particularly in the Old Saxon dialect spoken in regions of present-day northern Germany and the Netherlands. It is thought to be a compound name derived from the Old Saxon words "win," meaning friend, and "sele," meaning hall or dwelling.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Winsel can be traced back to the 9th century, where it appeared in the Fulda Monastery records, a significant historical document detailing the lives of monks and clerics in the region. This suggests that the name may have held some religious or ecclesiastical significance during that period.
In the 11th century, a nobleman named Winsel von Essen was documented as a prominent landowner in the Rhineland area of Germany. He is mentioned in several chronicles of the time, indicating that the name was prevalent among the nobility and upper classes of the region.
During the Middle Ages, a Flemish poet and songwriter named Winsel van der Mersch (1320-1389) gained recognition for his lyrical works, which were widely popular in the Low Countries. His compositions were often performed at court and helped to spread the name's popularity among artistic circles.
In the 16th century, a Dutch navigator and explorer named Winsel Barentszoon (1550-1597) played a significant role in the exploration of the Arctic regions. He is credited with the discovery of Bear Island and Spitsbergen, and his expeditions contributed greatly to the expansion of geographic knowledge during that era.
Another notable figure bearing the name Winsel was a German theologian and scholar, Winsel Hartmann (1677-1742), who made significant contributions to the field of biblical exegesis. His works on interpreting and understanding religious texts were widely studied and influential in academic circles of the time.
While the name Winsel may have been more commonly used in the past, particularly in Germanic regions, it has become relatively rare in modern times. However, its historical roots and associations with notable figures from various fields reflect its enduring legacy and cultural significance.
People
Winsel + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Winsel 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
Winsel: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Winsel?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 0 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Winsel 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 - US residents.
Is Winsel a common name?
We classify Winsel as "Very Rare". It ranks above 2.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 5 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Winsel most popular?
The single biggest year for Winsel was 1922, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Winsel is about 0 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 Winsel in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Winsel a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Winsel 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 Winsel still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Winsel 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 Winsel 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 common is the name Winsel?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.