2000
#9,892
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,010
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.12
Rare Last name
Windle
Derived from a place name meaning "white hill" in Old English, likely referring to someone who lived there.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,305 Americans carry the last name Windle. That puts it at #10,608 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.96 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 103,708 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Windle 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 Windle with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.3K
1 in 103,708
Census rank
#10,608
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,882 bearers of the surname Windle in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.96 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10608th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Windle, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.4%) and Hispanic (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Windle
Among Census respondents with the surname Windle, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.4%) and Hispanic (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Windle 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 Windle surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.8% · 2,587
- Two or more races4.4% · 126
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 79
- Black or African American1.8% · 52
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 21
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 17
Timeline
Historical Census data for Windle
Windle 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
#10,515
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,051
+41 bearers (+1.4%)
Per 100,000 1.03
Rank movement Down 623 places
2020
#10,608
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,882
-169 bearers (-5.5%)
Per 100,000 0.96
Rank movement Down 93 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,892 | 3,010 | 1.12 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,515 | 3,051 | 1.03 | +41 bearers (+1.4%) | Down 623 places |
| 2020 | #10,608 | 2,882 | 0.96 | -169 bearers (-5.5%) | Down 93 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 Windle 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 | #10,515 | #10,608 | -0.9% |
| Count | 3,051 | 2,882 | -5.5% |
| Per 100K | 1.03 | 0.96 | -6.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Windle bearers went from 3,051 to 2,882 (-5.5% change). The surname moved down 93 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,515 to #10,608.
FAQ
Windle surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Windle?
Name Census estimates that about 3,305 living Americans carry the surname Windle. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 103,708 residents.
How common is Windle?
Windle ranks #10,608 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.96 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 2,882 people with the surname Windle. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,305), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.96 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.96 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 Windle.
Has Windle become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Windle went from 3,051 recorded bearers to 2,882. That is a decrease of 169 (-5.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #10,515 to #10,608.
What does the Census say about the background of Windle?
Among Census respondents with the surname Windle, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.4%) and Hispanic (2.7%). 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 Windle in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.8% (2,587 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Windle appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.8%), Two or More Races (4.4%), Hispanic (2.7%). 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 Windle (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 Windle mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "white hill" in Old English, likely referring to someone who lived there. 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 Windle (0.96 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 are called Windle?
Find out how many people have the surname Windle on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.