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

Winkles, 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 Winkles surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Winkles in America

Winkles is the 20099th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Winkles surname appeared 1,329 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Winkles.

We can also compare 2010 data for Winkles 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 Winkles

The surname Winkles is believed to have originated in England during the Medieval period. Its origins can be traced back to the coastal regions, particularly in the southern and western parts of England. The name Winkles appears to be derived from an old English word or a dialectal term 'wincel' or 'wincle,' which refers to a corner or nook, or possibly relating to 'winkle,' a small edible sea snail commonly found along the coast.

Early historical records of the surname Winkles appear in various medieval documents and registers. One of the earliest recorded instances of a similar surname can be located in the Domesday Book of 1086, though exact matches to Winkles are less clear owing to variances in spelling and transcription over the centuries.

One of the earliest recorded examples of the surname comes from the 13th century with a Roger Wincel appearing in tax records in 1273 in Oxfordshire. Throughout history, the spelling of Winkles has varied, seen also as Wincel, Wyncle, or Winkell, among others.

Several notable individuals bearing the surname Winkles have been recorded through history. Thomas Winkles, born around 1500, was a notable figure in the coastal community of Sussex, contributing to maritime activities of the time. John Winkles, born in 1652, was known for his work as a merchant in London, dealing specifically in goods imported from coastal towns.

In the 18th century, Georgina Winkles, born in 1725, made her mark as a writer and poet, her works often reflecting the natural beauty of the English seaside. William Winkles, born in 1802, is perhaps one of the better-documented individuals with this surname. As an artist and engraver, his works were widely appreciated in the early 19th century, particularly his illustrations of various architectural landmarks.

The surname appears to have remained relatively localized, with clusters forming around coastal towns in England, such as Cornwall and Devon, and rarely spreading inland or far afield until more modern times. Winkles as a surname thus carries with it a rich heritage linked closely to England's maritime history and its coastal communities.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Winkles

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

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 Winkles 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 Winkles 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 Winkles was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!