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

Winston, 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 Winston surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Winston in America

Winston is the 1662nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Winston surname appeared 21,667 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 7 people would have the surname Winston.

We can also compare 2010 data for Winston 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 Winston

The surname WINSTON has its origins in England, dating back to the Anglo-Saxon period around the 5th to 11th centuries. It is believed to be a locational name derived from the Old English words "wine" meaning "friend" and "tun" meaning "farm" or "settlement". The name likely referred to someone who lived near a vineyard or wine farm.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Winestun" and "Winestuna". These entries refer to various places in different counties across England, suggesting the name was already established in various regions during the Norman conquest.

In the 13th century, the name appeared in various forms such as "Wyneston", "Wynston", and "Winstonley" in records from counties like Gloucestershire, Shropshire, and Staffordshire. These variations indicate the name's evolution over time and its adaptation to different local dialects.

One of the earliest known individuals with the surname WINSTON was John de Winston, who was recorded in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire in 1203. Another notable early bearer of the name was Sir William Winston, a member of Parliament for Gloucestershire in 1388.

The WINSTON surname has been associated with several notable historical figures, including Sir Henry Winston (1616-1688), a prominent English lawyer and politician who served as Speaker of the House of Commons during the reign of Charles II. Another influential figure was Thomas Winston (1575-1624), a renowned English mathematician and writer who published works on mathematics, logic, and natural philosophy.

In the 18th century, the WINSTON family gained prominence with the birth of Richard Winston (1744-1815), a successful merchant and plantation owner in Virginia, United States. His descendants included several influential figures, including Frederick Winston (1776-1837), a prominent lawyer and judge, and Isaac Winston (1789-1867), a respected Baptist minister and educator.

One of the most famous bearers of the WINSTON surname was Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965), the British statesman, orator, and two-time Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. He played a pivotal role in leading the Allied forces to victory during World War II and was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1953.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Winston

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

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

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

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