2000
#130,443
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Winstone
A surname possibly derived from the Old English "win-ston" meaning wine-stone, referring to a place where wine was produced or stored.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 125 Americans carry the last name Winstone. That puts it at #150,205 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,742,035 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Winstone 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 Winstone with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
125
1 in 2,742,035
Census rank
#150,205
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
109
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 109 bearers of the surname Winstone in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150205th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Winstone, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.7%. The next largest groups are Black (6.4%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (4.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Winstone
The surname Winstone has its origins in England, specifically from the Anglo-Saxon period. The name is believed to have originated from the Old English words "wynn," meaning joy or delight, and "stan," meaning stone. Thus, the name Winstone could be interpreted to mean a "joyful stone" or "stone of joy." The earliest instances of this surname are most commonly associated with the county of Gloucestershire, indicating that it may have begun as a locational surname referring to someone from the area.
One of the earliest records of the surname Winstone can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, a manuscript record of the "Great Survey" of much of England and parts of Wales ordered by King William the Conqueror. Although the specific name does not appear in the Domesday Book, several mentions of possible locations such as "Winstone" or "Wynstan" suggest the prevalence of the name or its variants in the rural landscape of England during that time.
In historical records, Winstone appears more frequently by the 13th century. For example, a William de Winstone is recorded in the Gloucestershire Subsidy Rolls of 1327. This early record signifies the use of the name as it transitioned from a locational indicator to a hereditary surname. Medieval records also show variations in the spelling of Winstone, including Wynston and Winston, reflecting the phonetic spelling practices of the time.
Famous individuals with the surname include Sir Thomas Winstone, born in the early 16th century (1495–1560), a noted English merchant and Mayor of Gloucester. His contributions to the local economy and civic duties have been well-documented in municipality records. Another notable figure is Geoffrey Winstone, a 17th-century clergyman born in 1603, who played a significant role in the religious community of Gloucestershire.
In the realm of more recent history, Winstone Churchill (1852–1932) was a prominent British politician and the father of Winston Churchill, who shared the same surname albeit without the 'e' at the end. This serves as an example of how the name could evolve and still be traced to its roots in Winstone.
Winstone Day was a renowned rugby player from New Zealand born in 1930, who represented the name in the world of sports during the mid-20th century. Although he may not be from the original English lineage, his surname suggests the migratory patterns of families and their surnames across continents.
Lastly, Ray Winstone, the actor born in 1957, has brought attention to the surname in contemporary times through his successful career in film and television. While he represents a modern bearer of the name, his presence underscores the continued endurance and adaptation of the surname Winstone.
The surname Winstone, with its deep roots in English history and its various contributions through different personalities, encapsulates a rich heritage that spans centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Winstone
Among Census respondents with the surname Winstone, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.7%. The next largest groups are Black (6.4%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (4.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Winstone 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 Winstone surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White81.7% · 89
- Black or African American6.4% · 7
- American Indian and Alaska Native4.6% · 5
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 4
- Two or more races3.7% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Winstone
Winstone 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
#142,108
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
-3 bearers (-2.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 11,665 places
2020
#150,205
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
-8 bearers (-6.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 8,097 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #130,443 | 120 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #142,108 | 117 | 0.04 | -3 bearers (-2.5%) | Down 11,665 places |
| 2020 | #150,205 | 109 | 0.04 | -8 bearers (-6.8%) | Down 8,097 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 Winstone 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 | #142,108 | #150,205 | -5.7% |
| Count | 117 | 109 | -6.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -8.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Winstone bearers went from 117 to 109 (-6.8% change). The surname moved down 8,097 positions in the national ranking, going from #142,108 to #150,205.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Winstone
FAQ
Winstone surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Winstone?
Name Census estimates that about 125 living Americans carry the surname Winstone. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,742,035 residents.
How common is Winstone?
Winstone ranks #150,205 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 109 people with the surname Winstone. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (125), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Winstone.
Has Winstone become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Winstone went from 117 recorded bearers to 109. That is a decrease of 8 (-6.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #142,108 to #150,205.
What does the Census say about the background of Winstone?
Among Census respondents with the surname Winstone, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.7%. The next largest groups are Black (6.4%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (4.6%). 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 Winstone in the 2020 Census, accounting for 81.7% (89 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Winstone appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (81.7%), Black (6.4%), American Indian/Alaska Native (4.6%). 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 Winstone (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 Winstone mean?
A surname possibly derived from the Old English "win-ston" meaning wine-stone, referring to a place where wine was produced or stored. 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 Winstone (0.04 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 have the last name Winstone?
For a quick modern take, check how many people are called Winstone on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.