2000
#1,043
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 30,721
First available Census row
Per 100,000 11.39
Uncommon Last name
Winter
An English surname referring to someone who lived near or worked in a cold or snowy place.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 35,271 Americans carry the last name Winter. That puts it at #1,119 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 10.29 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 9,718 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Winter 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 Winter with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
35K
1 in 9,718
Census rank
#1,119
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
10.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
31K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 30,758 bearers of the surname Winter in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 10.29 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1119th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Winter, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Winter
Among Census respondents with the surname Winter, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Winter 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 Winter surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.2% · 27,736
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 1,105
- Two or more races3.0% · 935
- Black or African American2.0% · 606
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 245
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 131
Timeline
Historical Census data for Winter
Winter 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
#1,119
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 31,310
+589 bearers (+1.9%)
Per 100,000 10.61
Rank movement Down 76 places
2020
#1,119
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 30,758
-552 bearers (-1.8%)
Per 100,000 10.29
Rank movement No rank change
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,043 | 30,721 | 11.39 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,119 | 31,310 | 10.61 | +589 bearers (+1.9%) | Down 76 places |
| 2020 | #1,119 | 30,758 | 10.29 | -552 bearers (-1.8%) | No rank change |
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 Winter 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 | #1,119 | #1,119 | 0.0% |
| Count | 31,310 | 30,758 | -1.8% |
| Per 100K | 10.61 | 10.29 | -3.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Winter bearers went from 31,310 to 30,758 (-1.8% change). The surname held its position in the national ranking, remaining at #1,119.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Winter
FAQ
Winter surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Winter?
Name Census estimates that about 35,271 living Americans carry the surname Winter. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 9,718 residents.
How common is Winter?
Winter ranks #1,119 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 10.29 per 100,000 residents, which is about 10 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 30,758 people with the surname Winter. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (35,271), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 10.29 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 10.29 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 10 of them to have the surname Winter.
Has Winter become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Winter went from 31,310 recorded bearers to 30,758. That is a decrease of 552 (-1.8%). In the national ranking it stayed at #1,119.
What does the Census say about the background of Winter?
Among Census respondents with the surname Winter, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (3.0%). 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 Winter in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.2% (27,736 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Winter appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.2%), Hispanic (3.6%), Two or More Races (3.0%). 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 Winter (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 Winter mean?
An English surname referring to someone who lived near or worked in a cold or snowy place. 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 Winter (10.29 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 common is the surname Winter?
Find out how many people have the last name Winter on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.