2000
#4,391
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,479
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.77
Rare Last name
Windsor
A locational surname referring to a person who lived in or came from Windsor, England.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 8,501 Americans carry the last name Windsor. That puts it at #4,639 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.48 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 40,319 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Windsor 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 Windsor with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
8.5K
1 in 40,319
Census rank
#4,639
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,413 bearers of the surname Windsor in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.48 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4639th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Windsor, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.2%. The next largest groups are Black (5.1%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Windsor
The surname Windsor has its origins in England, specifically in the county of Berkshire. The name is derived from the Old English words "windles" and "oran," which together mean "winding river bank." This is a reference to the location of the royal town of Windsor, situated on the banks of the River Thames.
The earliest recorded usage of the name Windsor can be found in the Domesday Book, a manuscript compiled in 1086 by order of William the Conqueror. This document mentions several individuals with the surname Windsor, indicating that the name was already established in the region.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Windsor was Walter Windsor, who lived in the 12th century and served as a royal falconer to King Henry II. Another notable figure was William de Windsor, a 13th-century English prelate who served as Bishop of Winchester from 1305 to 1337.
In the 14th century, the name Windsor gained prominence due to its association with the royal House of Windsor, which traces its lineage back to the medieval Plantagenet dynasty. The first monarch of this house was King Edward III, who was born in 1312 and reigned from 1327 to 1377.
During the reign of Queen Elizabeth I (1558-1603), the name Windsor was further popularized by the construction of Windsor Castle, one of the official residences of the British monarchy. This grand castle, located in the town of Windsor, became a symbol of royal power and prestige.
Over the centuries, several notable individuals have borne the surname Windsor. These include Edward Windsor (1894-1972), better known as the Duke of Windsor, who famously abdicated the British throne in 1936 to marry Wallis Simpson. Another prominent figure was Henry Windsor (1838-1900), a British naval officer and explorer who served as Governor of Newfoundland and Bermuda.
Other famous Windsors include Francis Windsor (1592-1634), an English courtier and politician during the reign of King Charles I, and Robert Windsor (1923-2004), a British peer and member of the House of Lords.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Windsor
Among Census respondents with the surname Windsor, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.2%. The next largest groups are Black (5.1%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Windsor 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 Windsor surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.2% · 6,393
- Black or African American5.1% · 375
- Two or more races3.9% · 290
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 245
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 71
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 39
Timeline
Historical Census data for Windsor
Windsor 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
#4,652
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,621
+142 bearers (+1.9%)
Per 100,000 2.58
Rank movement Down 261 places
2020
#4,639
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,413
-208 bearers (-2.7%)
Per 100,000 2.48
Rank movement Up 13 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,391 | 7,479 | 2.77 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,652 | 7,621 | 2.58 | +142 bearers (+1.9%) | Down 261 places |
| 2020 | #4,639 | 7,413 | 2.48 | -208 bearers (-2.7%) | Up 13 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 Windsor 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 | #4,652 | #4,639 | 0.3% |
| Count | 7,621 | 7,413 | -2.7% |
| Per 100K | 2.58 | 2.48 | -3.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Windsor bearers went from 7,621 to 7,413 (-2.7% change). The surname moved up 13 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,652 to #4,639.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Windsor
FAQ
Windsor surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Windsor?
Name Census estimates that about 8,501 living Americans carry the surname Windsor. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 40,319 residents.
How common is Windsor?
Windsor ranks #4,639 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.48 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 7,413 people with the surname Windsor. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (8,501), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.48 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.48 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Windsor.
Has Windsor become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Windsor went from 7,621 recorded bearers to 7,413. That is a decrease of 208 (-2.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #4,652 to #4,639.
What does the Census say about the background of Windsor?
Among Census respondents with the surname Windsor, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.2%. The next largest groups are Black (5.1%) and Two or More Races (3.9%). 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 Windsor in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.2% (6,393 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Windsor appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.2%), Black (5.1%), Two or More Races (3.9%). 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 Windsor (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 Windsor mean?
A locational surname referring to a person who lived in or came from Windsor, England. 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 Windsor (2.48 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 Windsor?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.