2000
#14,877
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,825
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.68
Rare Last name
Winbush
A habitational surname referring to someone who lived near a bush or thicket frequented by wind.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,295 Americans carry the last name Winbush. That puts it at #14,387 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.67 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 149,348 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Winbush 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
2.3K
1 in 149,348
Census rank
#14,387
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,001 bearers of the surname Winbush in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.67 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14387th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Winbush, the largest self-reported group is Black at 85.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.9%) and White (4.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Winbush
The surname Winbush is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period. It is thought to be a locational name, derived from a place name that was once spelled as "Wynbryche" or a similar variation. This place name likely referred to a settlement or a landmark located near a winding brook or stream.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Winbush appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is listed as "Winebris". This entry suggests that the name had already been in use during the 11th century, possibly even earlier.
In the 13th century, the name was found in various records with spellings such as "Wynebrugge", "Wynebrigg", and "Wynebryche", further indicating its connection to a location near a winding waterway.
One notable individual bearing the name Winbush was Sir John Winbush, a prominent landowner and knight who lived in the late 14th century. Records show that he held estates in Wiltshire and Gloucestershire.
During the 16th century, the name appeared in various parish records across England, particularly in the counties of Somerset, Dorset, and Wiltshire. One example is William Winbush, who was born in Mere, Wiltshire, in 1543.
In the 17th century, the Winbush family had established themselves in the county of Somerset, where they were notable landowners and members of the local gentry. A prominent figure from this period was Robert Winbush, who was born in 1621 and served as a Justice of the Peace for Somerset.
Another notable individual was John Winbush, a successful merchant and ship owner who lived in Bristol during the late 17th and early 18th centuries. He played a significant role in the city's thriving maritime trade and was involved in various business ventures.
As the centuries progressed, the Winbush family continued to spread across different regions of England, with some members emigrating to other parts of the world, including North America and Australia.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Winbush
Among Census respondents with the surname Winbush, the largest self-reported group is Black at 85.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.9%) and White (4.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Winbush 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 Winbush surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American85.3% · 1,706
- Two or more races5.9% · 118
- White4.9% · 98
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 62
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 9
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Winbush
Winbush 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
#13,781
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,195
+370 bearers (+20.3%)
Per 100,000 0.74
Rank movement Up 1,096 places
2020
#14,387
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,001
-194 bearers (-8.8%)
Per 100,000 0.67
Rank movement Down 606 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,877 | 1,825 | 0.68 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,781 | 2,195 | 0.74 | +370 bearers (+20.3%) | Up 1,096 places |
| 2020 | #14,387 | 2,001 | 0.67 | -194 bearers (-8.8%) | Down 606 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 Winbush 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 | #13,781 | #14,387 | -4.4% |
| Count | 2,195 | 2,001 | -8.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.74 | 0.67 | -9.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Winbush bearers went from 2,195 to 2,001 (-8.8% change). The surname moved down 606 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,781 to #14,387.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Winbush
FAQ
Winbush surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Winbush?
Name Census estimates that about 2,295 living Americans carry the surname Winbush. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 149,348 residents.
How common is Winbush?
Winbush ranks #14,387 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.67 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 2,001 people with the surname Winbush. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,295), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.67 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.67 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 Winbush.
Has Winbush become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Winbush went from 2,195 recorded bearers to 2,001. That is a decrease of 194 (-8.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #13,781 to #14,387.
What does the Census say about the background of Winbush?
Among Census respondents with the surname Winbush, the largest self-reported group is Black at 85.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.9%) and White (4.9%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Winbush in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.3% (1,706 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Winbush appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (85.3%), Two or More Races (5.9%), White (4.9%). 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 Winbush (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 Winbush mean?
A habitational surname referring to someone who lived near a bush or thicket frequented by wind. 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 Winbush (0.67 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 Winbush?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.