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

Winslow, 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 Winslow surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Winslow in America

Winslow is the 2570th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Winslow surname appeared 14,056 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 5 people would have the surname Winslow.

We can also compare 2010 data for Winslow 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 Winslow

The surname Winslow is believed to have originated in England, specifically in the county of Buckinghamshire. Its earliest recorded form was "Windeshlau," which appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, a manuscript record of a survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed by order of King William the Conqueror.

The name Winslow is thought to be derived from the Old English words "wind" and "hlaw," meaning "windswept hill" or "hill exposed to the wind." This is likely a reference to the town of Winslow in Buckinghamshire, which may have been situated on a hill prone to strong winds.

One of the earliest known bearers of the surname was Richard de Windeshlau, who is mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Buckinghamshire in 1197. The Pipe Rolls were administrative records maintained by the English Exchequer, providing valuable insights into the names and locations of individuals during that time period.

In the 13th century, the surname appeared in various spellings, including Windeslawe, Windeslowe, and Wyndeslow, reflecting the evolution of the name over time. By the 14th century, the spelling had largely settled into its modern form, Winslow.

Notable individuals with the surname Winslow throughout history include:

1. Edward Winslow (c. 1595 - 1655), a Separatist who traveled on the Mayflower and became the governor of Plymouth Colony in 1633.
2. Josiah Winslow (1628 - 1680), the first native-born governor of Plymouth Colony, serving from 1673 to 1680.
3. James Winslow (1642 - 1720), a colonial military officer who commanded forces during King Philip's War in New England.
4. William Winslow (1776 - 1839), an American Revolutionary War soldier and early settler in Ohio.
5. Gordon Winslow (1905 - 1994), an American actor and playwright best known for his performance in the film "Sergeant York" (1941).

The Winslow surname has also been associated with various place names, such as Winslow, Arizona, and Winslow, Maine, which were likely named after individuals bearing the surname or in reference to the town of Winslow in Buckinghamshire, England.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Winslow

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

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

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

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