2000
#7,883
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,896
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.44
Rare Last name
Winkle
A nickname-derived surname referring to a person with a periwinkle shell-like birthmark or resembling the sea snail.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,186 Americans carry the last name Winkle. That puts it at #8,629 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.22 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 81,881 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Winkle 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 Winkle with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.2K
1 in 81,881
Census rank
#8,629
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,650 bearers of the surname Winkle in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.22 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8629th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Winkle, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.8%) and Hispanic (3.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Winkle
The surname "WINKLE" has its origins in England, with records dating back to the 13th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old English word "wincel," meaning "a corner or nook," which may have referred to someone living in a secluded or tucked-away area.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire from 1273, where it is written as "Wynckel." This spelling variation highlights the evolution of the surname over time.
In the 14th century, the name appears in the Calendarium Inquisitionum Post Mortem, a collection of inquisitions post mortem (inquiries into land holdings after a person's death) from the reign of Edward I. Here, it is spelled as "Wynkele."
The Domesday Book, the great survey of England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086, does not contain the surname "WINKLE" itself, but it does mention place names that may have contributed to the development of the surname. For instance, the village of "Winchendon" in Buckinghamshire is recorded, which could be related to the Old English word "wincel."
Notable historical figures who bore the surname "WINKLE" include:
1. John Winkle (c. 1490 - 1557), an English merchant and Member of Parliament for the City of London.
2. William Winkle (1594 - 1671), an English clergyman and author who served as the Rector of Monks Risborough in Buckinghamshire.
3. Elizabeth Winkle (c. 1620 - 1688), an English Quaker minister and writer who was imprisoned for her religious beliefs.
4. Thomas Winkle (1733 - 1798), a British soldier who served in the American Revolutionary War and later became a surveyor in Upper Canada (now Ontario, Canada).
5. Mary Winkle (1787 - 1856), an English author and poet who published several works, including "Poetical Trifles" in 1815.
While the surname "WINKLE" may have originated from a geographical location or description, it has since been carried by individuals from various walks of life, including merchants, clergymen, writers, soldiers, and surveyors, leaving an indelible mark on the history and cultural fabric of England and beyond.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Winkle
Among Census respondents with the surname Winkle, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.8%) and Hispanic (3.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Winkle 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 Winkle surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.6% · 3,233
- Two or more races4.8% · 176
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 115
- Black or African American1.8% · 67
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.1% · 39
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 20
Timeline
Historical Census data for Winkle
Winkle 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
#8,131
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,077
+181 bearers (+4.6%)
Per 100,000 1.38
Rank movement Down 248 places
2020
#8,629
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,650
-427 bearers (-10.5%)
Per 100,000 1.22
Rank movement Down 498 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,883 | 3,896 | 1.44 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,131 | 4,077 | 1.38 | +181 bearers (+4.6%) | Down 248 places |
| 2020 | #8,629 | 3,650 | 1.22 | -427 bearers (-10.5%) | Down 498 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 Winkle 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 | #8,131 | #8,629 | -6.1% |
| Count | 4,077 | 3,650 | -10.5% |
| Per 100K | 1.38 | 1.22 | -11.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Winkle bearers went from 4,077 to 3,650 (-10.5% change). The surname moved down 498 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,131 to #8,629.
FAQ
Winkle surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Winkle?
Name Census estimates that about 4,186 living Americans carry the surname Winkle. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 81,881 residents.
How common is Winkle?
Winkle ranks #8,629 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.22 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 3,650 people with the surname Winkle. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,186), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.22 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.22 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 Winkle.
Has Winkle become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Winkle went from 4,077 recorded bearers to 3,650. That is a decrease of 427 (-10.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,131 to #8,629.
What does the Census say about the background of Winkle?
Among Census respondents with the surname Winkle, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.8%) and Hispanic (3.2%). 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 Winkle in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.6% (3,233 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Winkle appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.6%), Two or More Races (4.8%), Hispanic (3.2%). 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 Winkle (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 Winkle mean?
A nickname-derived surname referring to a person with a periwinkle shell-like birthmark or resembling the sea snail. 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 Winkle (1.22 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 Winkle?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.