Find out how popular the last name Windle is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Windle.

Windle, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Windle surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Windle in America

Windle is the 10515th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Windle surname appeared 3,051 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Windle.

We can also compare 2010 data for Windle to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Windle

The surname Windle is of Anglo-Saxon origin, tracing its roots back to the ancient region of Mercia in central England, around the 8th or 9th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old English words "wincel" and "hyll," which collectively mean "winding hill" or "crooked hill." This suggests that the name may have been originally used to describe someone who lived near a distinctively curved or winding hill.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Windle can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Windhille" in reference to a place in Cheshire. This is likely a variant spelling of the name, reflecting the local dialect and pronunciation of the time.

In the 13th century, the name appeared in various records as "Wyndhill" and "Wyndhull," further solidifying its connection to the Old English words for "winding hill." During this period, the surname was particularly prevalent in the counties of Cheshire, Lancashire, and Yorkshire.

Notable individuals bearing the surname Windle include Sir Ralph de Windle, a 14th-century knight from Cheshire, and William Windle, a 16th-century rector of St. Mary's Church in Chester (born around 1520). In the 17th century, John Windle (1598-1668) was a prominent English clergyman and author from Lancashire.

The 18th century saw the emergence of Richard Windle (1740-1811), a respected English author and bibliographer. Meanwhile, in the 19th century, Thomas Windle (1857-1915) was a renowned English priest, archaeologist, and writer who made significant contributions to the study of ancient manuscripts and Celtic literature.

Throughout its history, the surname Windle has maintained a strong presence in the counties of Cheshire, Lancashire, and Yorkshire, as well as in parts of Wales and Ireland, where it is believed to have been introduced by English settlers.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Windle

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Windle.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Windle was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Windle has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Windle was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Windle, please contact us.

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