2000
#6,740
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,609
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.71
Rare Last name
Winchell
An English habitational surname derived from places in Buckinghamshire, Essex, and Kent, likely meaning "corner shelter."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,083 Americans carry the last name Winchell. That puts it at #7,256 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.48 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 67,432 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Winchell 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
5.1K
1 in 67,432
Census rank
#7,256
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,433 bearers of the surname Winchell in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.48 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7256th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Winchell, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Hispanic (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Winchell
The surname Winchell is of English origin, derived from the Old English word "wincel," meaning "corner" or "nook." It is believed to have originated as a topographic name, referring to someone who lived in a corner or remote area.
The name first appeared in the late 11th century, shortly after the Norman Conquest of England in 1066. One of the earliest recorded instances is found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is spelled "Winchel."
In the 13th century, the name was commonly found in the counties of Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, and Berkshire, suggesting that it may have originated in that region of southern England.
Notable individuals bearing the surname Winchell include Walter Winchell (1897-1972), an American newspaper and radio commentator known for his influential gossip column. Another was Paul Winchell (1922-2005), an American ventriloquist and voice actor best known for creating the character Winnie the Pooh.
In the 14th century, the name appeared in various records with spellings such as "Wynchell," "Wincell," and "Wynchill." During this period, it was also associated with several place names, such as Winchell in Buckinghamshire and Winchelsea in Sussex.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname was John Winchell, who lived in Oxfordshire in the late 13th century. Another notable figure was Sir Robert Winchell (c. 1400-1470), a Member of Parliament for Berkshire during the Wars of the Roses.
In the 16th century, the name was found in various parts of England, including in the records of the parish of St. Mary's in Stratford-upon-Avon, the birthplace of William Shakespeare.
As the centuries passed, the Winchell surname continued to spread across England and eventually to other parts of the world, carried by those who emigrated from the British Isles.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Winchell
Among Census respondents with the surname Winchell, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Hispanic (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Winchell 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 Winchell surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.5% · 4,010
- Two or more races3.9% · 175
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 151
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 35
- Black or African American0.7% · 31
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 31
Timeline
Historical Census data for Winchell
Winchell 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
#7,195
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,644
+35 bearers (+0.8%)
Per 100,000 1.57
Rank movement Down 455 places
2020
#7,256
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,433
-211 bearers (-4.5%)
Per 100,000 1.48
Rank movement Down 61 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,740 | 4,609 | 1.71 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,195 | 4,644 | 1.57 | +35 bearers (+0.8%) | Down 455 places |
| 2020 | #7,256 | 4,433 | 1.48 | -211 bearers (-4.5%) | Down 61 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 Winchell 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 | #7,195 | #7,256 | -0.8% |
| Count | 4,644 | 4,433 | -4.5% |
| Per 100K | 1.57 | 1.48 | -5.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Winchell bearers went from 4,644 to 4,433 (-4.5% change). The surname moved down 61 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,195 to #7,256.
FAQ
Winchell surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Winchell?
Name Census estimates that about 5,083 living Americans carry the surname Winchell. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 67,432 residents.
How common is Winchell?
Winchell ranks #7,256 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.48 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 4,433 people with the surname Winchell. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,083), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.48 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.48 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 Winchell.
Has Winchell become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Winchell went from 4,644 recorded bearers to 4,433. That is a decrease of 211 (-4.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,195 to #7,256.
What does the Census say about the background of Winchell?
Among Census respondents with the surname Winchell, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Hispanic (3.4%). 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 Winchell in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.5% (4,010 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Winchell appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.5%), Two or More Races (3.9%), Hispanic (3.4%). 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 Winchell (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 Winchell mean?
An English habitational surname derived from places in Buckinghamshire, Essex, and Kent, likely meaning "corner shelter." 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 Winchell (1.48 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 people share the surname Winchell?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.