2000
#13,229
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,116
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.78
Rare Last name
Winders
An occupational surname for someone who winds thread or operates a winding machine in textile manufacturing.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,118 Americans carry the last name Winders. That puts it at #15,296 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.62 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 161,829 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Winders 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Winders with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.1K
1 in 161,829
Census rank
#15,296
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,847 bearers of the surname Winders in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.62 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15296th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Winders, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.4%) and Hispanic (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Winders
The surname "Winders" is believed to have originated in England, potentially as early as the 12th century. It is thought to be an occupational surname, derived from the Old English word "windere," which referred to a person responsible for winding yarn or thread onto spools or bobbins.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname can be traced back to various regions of England, including Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, and Nottinghamshire. These areas were known for their textile industries during medieval times, which could explain the origin of the name.
One of the earliest documented mentions of the surname "Winders" can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire, dated around 1230. These rolls were financial records kept by the Exchequer, and they contained entries for individuals with this surname, indicating their presence in the region at that time.
In the 14th century, the surname appears in the Poll Tax Returns of 1379, which recorded taxpayers in various parts of England. This suggests that the Winders family had become more widespread by this period.
One notable individual bearing the Winders surname was John Winders, a merchant and alderman who lived in York during the 15th century. He was mentioned in the city's records and is believed to have been a prominent figure in the local community.
Another individual of historical significance was Richard Winders, a clergyman who lived in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. He served as the Vicar of Kirton in Lindsey, Lincolnshire, and was known for his religious writings and sermons.
In the 17th century, the Winders surname appears in various parish records and court documents across England, indicating the family's continued presence in different regions of the country.
One prominent figure from this era was William Winders, a merchant and landowner who lived in Nottinghamshire in the late 1600s. He was involved in local affairs and held several positions of authority within his community.
As the centuries progressed, the Winders family continued to spread throughout England, and variations in the spelling of the surname emerged, such as "Winder" and "Wynder."
By the 19th century, individuals with the Winders surname could be found in various parts of the world, likely due to immigration and the expansion of the British Empire.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Winders
Among Census respondents with the surname Winders, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.4%) and Hispanic (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Winders 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 Winders surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.3% · 1,668
- Two or more races3.4% · 63
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 54
- Black or African American1.5% · 28
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.3% · 24
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 10
Timeline
Historical Census data for Winders
Winders 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
#13,306
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,292
+176 bearers (+8.3%)
Per 100,000 0.78
Rank movement Down 77 places
2020
#15,296
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,847
-445 bearers (-19.4%)
Per 100,000 0.62
Rank movement Down 1,990 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,229 | 2,116 | 0.78 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,306 | 2,292 | 0.78 | +176 bearers (+8.3%) | Down 77 places |
| 2020 | #15,296 | 1,847 | 0.62 | -445 bearers (-19.4%) | Down 1,990 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 Winders 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 | #13,306 | #15,296 | -15.0% |
| Count | 2,292 | 1,847 | -19.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.78 | 0.62 | -20.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Winders bearers went from 2,292 to 1,847 (-19.4% change). The surname moved down 1,990 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,306 to #15,296.
FAQ
Winders surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Winders?
Name Census estimates that about 2,118 living Americans carry the surname Winders. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 161,829 residents.
How common is Winders?
Winders ranks #15,296 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.62 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 1,847 people with the surname Winders. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,118), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.62 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.62 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 Winders.
Has Winders become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Winders went from 2,292 recorded bearers to 1,847. That is a decrease of 445 (-19.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #13,306 to #15,296.
What does the Census say about the background of Winders?
Among Census respondents with the surname Winders, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.4%) and Hispanic (2.9%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Winders in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.3% (1,668 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Winders appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.3%), Two or More Races (3.4%), Hispanic (2.9%). 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 Winders (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 Winders mean?
An occupational surname for someone who winds thread or operates a winding machine in textile manufacturing. 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 Winders (0.62 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 have the surname Winders?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.