2000
#7,719
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,973
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.47
Rare Last name
Winans
Derived from the Old English given name Wynand, meaning "joy and peace."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,218 Americans carry the last name Winans. That puts it at #8,582 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.23 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 81,260 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Winans surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
4.2K
1 in 81,260
Census rank
#8,582
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,678 bearers of the surname Winans in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.23 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8582nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Winans, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.3%) and Black (3.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Winans
The surname WINANS originated in Germany and can be traced back to the 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the Middle High German word "winen," which means "to complain" or "to lament." The name likely referred to someone with a whining or complaining nature.
In the early 17th century, records show the name appearing in various spellings, such as Winan, Wynans, and Wienans, in the regions of Westphalia and the Rhineland. One of the earliest documented instances of the name is found in the church records of Essen, where a Johann Winans is mentioned in 1612.
The WINANS surname is not found in the renowned Domesday Book, which was a survey of land and property conducted in England in 1086. This suggests that the name did not have a significant presence in England during that time period.
One of the earliest known bearers of the WINANS name was Hans Winans, born in 1623 in Remscheid, Germany. He was a blacksmith by trade and is recorded as having immigrated to the Dutch colony of New Netherland (present-day New York) in 1654.
Another notable figure with the WINANS surname was Jacob Winans, born in 1720 in Germantown, Pennsylvania. He was a prominent figure in the American Revolutionary War, serving as a captain in the Continental Army under General George Washington.
In the 19th century, Ross Winans, born in 1796 in New Jersey, made significant contributions to the development of railways in the United States. He designed and patented several innovations in locomotive technology, including the Winans Camel, a unique steam locomotive design.
Benjamin B. Winans, born in 1835 in Ohio, was a renowned architect and engineer. He was responsible for designing several iconic buildings in Baltimore, Maryland, including the Peabody Institute and the American Building.
Walter Winans, born in 1852 in Russia, was a British sculptor, marksman, and writer. He is best known for his works depicting hunting and shooting scenes, as well as his exceptional skill as a competitive marksman, winning several Olympic medals in the early 20th century.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Winans
Among Census respondents with the surname Winans, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.3%) and Black (3.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Winans bearers 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 surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Winans surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.2% · 3,209
- Hispanic or Latino4.3% · 158
- Black or African American3.6% · 132
- Two or more races3.4% · 124
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 37
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 18
Timeline
Historical Census data for Winans
Winans appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#8,266
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,010
+37 bearers (+0.9%)
Per 100,000 1.36
Rank movement Down 547 places
2020
#8,582
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,678
-332 bearers (-8.3%)
Per 100,000 1.23
Rank movement Down 316 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,719 | 3,973 | 1.47 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,266 | 4,010 | 1.36 | +37 bearers (+0.9%) | Down 547 places |
| 2020 | #8,582 | 3,678 | 1.23 | -332 bearers (-8.3%) | Down 316 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Winans surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #8,266 | #8,582 | -3.8% |
| Count | 4,010 | 3,678 | -8.3% |
| Per 100K | 1.36 | 1.23 | -9.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Winans bearers went from 4,010 to 3,678 (-8.3% change). The surname moved down 316 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,266 to #8,582.
FAQ
Winans surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Winans?
Name Census estimates that about 4,218 living Americans carry the surname Winans. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 81,260 residents.
How common is Winans?
Winans ranks #8,582 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.23 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,678 people with the surname Winans. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,218), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.23 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.23 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Winans.
Has Winans become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Winans went from 4,010 recorded bearers to 3,678. That is a decrease of 332 (-8.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,266 to #8,582.
What does the Census say about the background of Winans?
Among Census respondents with the surname Winans, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.3%) and Black (3.6%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Winans in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.2% (3,209 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Winans appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.2%), Hispanic (4.3%), Black (3.6%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Winans (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Winans mean?
Derived from the Old English given name Wynand, meaning "joy and peace." The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Winans (1.23 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many Americans have the surname Winans?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.