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

Winter, 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 Winter surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Winter in America

Winter is the 1119th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Winter surname appeared 31,310 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 11 people would have the surname Winter.

We can also compare 2010 data for Winter 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 Winter

The surname Winter is of English origin, derived from the Old English word 'winter', which referred to the coldest season of the year. It was initially used as a descriptive name, likely given to someone who was born or lived near a particularly harsh winter, or who had a notably cold demeanor.

The earliest recorded instances of the surname Winter date back to the late 12th century in various English counties, including Lincolnshire, Norfolk, and Oxfordshire. In the Hundred Rolls of 1273, there are references to individuals bearing the name, such as Willelmus Winter and Rogerus Winter.

The Winter surname can also be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive record of landowners and tenants in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. However, the spelling in this document was often inconsistent, with variations like 'Wintre' or 'Wyntre' appearing.

In the 14th century, the surname Winter was associated with several notable individuals. One example is John Winter, a prominent English merchant and politician who served as Lord Mayor of London in 1370. Another was William Winter, a renowned poet and author who was born around 1310 and is best known for his work titled 'The Tale of the Wandering Knight'.

During the Tudor period, the Winter surname gained further prominence. Sir William Winter (c. 1497-1589) was a distinguished English naval officer and politician who served as Vice-Admiral of England under Queen Elizabeth I. He played a crucial role in the defeat of the Spanish Armada in 1588.

The Winter surname also has connections to the American colonies. One notable figure was Jedediah Winter (1696-1778), a colonial soldier and landowner from Massachusetts who fought in the French and Indian War. His descendants went on to establish prominent families in various parts of New England.

Other notable individuals with the surname Winter include Samuel Winter (1603-1666), an English clergyman and author known for his work 'The Summe of Diverse Sermons', and Sir James Winter (1845-1922), a British lawyer and judge who served as Chief Justice of British Honduras (now Belize).

Throughout its history, the Winter surname has been associated with various occupations, from merchants and politicians to soldiers and clergymen, reflecting the diverse backgrounds and experiences of those who bore this name.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Winter

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

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

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

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