2000
#27,386
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 829
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.31
Very Rare Last name
Winterbottom
A surname indicating someone who lived near a valley or deep hollow.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 977 Americans carry the last name Winterbottom. That puts it at #29,518 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.29 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 350,823 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Winterbottom 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 Winterbottom with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
977
1 in 350,823
Census rank
#29,518
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
852
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 852 bearers of the surname Winterbottom in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.29 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 29518th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Winterbottom, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (3.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Winterbottom
The surname Winterbottom finds its origin in England, particularly in the northern counties of Yorkshire and Lancashire. The name dates back to the medieval period, with the earliest records appearing around the 13th and 14th centuries. The term winter is derived from the Old English winter, which carries the same meaning as the modern word, while bottom is derived from the Old English botm, meaning valley or low-lying area.
Winterbottom is a toponymic surname, meaning it originally referred to someone who lived in a place known as Winterbottom or a place characterized by the feature of a valley where snow might stay longer in winter. This localization could refer to specific areas within Yorkshire and Lancashire where such geographical features were common.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname appears in the 1379 Poll Tax records for Yorkshire, where a Richard de Wynterbottom is listed. This indicates the presence of the name in the public records and reflects its use among common folk or potentially minor nobility of the time.
In the late 16th and early 17th centuries, the surname began appearing more frequently in various records such as wills, parish registers, and legal documents. For example, Thomas Winterbottom, born in 1591 and died in 1659, was a noted merchant from Lancashire. His activities extended to trade and commerce, and his family maintained substantial presence in the area for several generations.
Another prominent figure bearing the surname is Francis Winterbottom, who lived during the early 18th century. Born in 1683, Francis served as a justice of the peace in Yorkshire and was well-known for his contributions to local governance. His records are preserved in various legal documents and proceedings from the period, marking his influence in the community.
In the 19th century, the Winterbottom surname saw greater prominence in professions such as medicine and scholarship. Thomas Masterman Winterbottom, born in 1766 and died in 1859, was a distinguished physician known for his work in West Africa. His observations and descriptions of African medical conditions made significant contributions to tropical medicine and the understanding of local diseases. His book, "An Account of the Native Africans in the Neighbourhood of Sierra Leone," remains a critical reference in the field.
Later in the 19th century, Sir Thomas Edward Winterbottom, born in 1841 and died in 1914, emerged as another notable figure. He was an English engineer and inventor, recognized for his advancements in railway engineering and construction. His inventions and designs were vital to the expansion and efficiency of the British rail system during the Industrial Revolution.
By tracing the etymology, historical occurrences, and prominent figures, the surname Winterbottom reveals a rich tapestry interwoven with England's geographical, social, and professional history. From its roots in the northern valleys to its emergence in scholarly and professional circles, the name has carried substantial significance through the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Winterbottom
Among Census respondents with the surname Winterbottom, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (3.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Winterbottom 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 Winterbottom surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.7% · 773
- Two or more races3.5% · 30
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 28
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.2% · 10
- Black or African American0.8% · 7
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Winterbottom
Winterbottom 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
#27,354
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 883
+54 bearers (+6.5%)
Per 100,000 0.30
Rank movement Up 32 places
2020
#29,518
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 852
-31 bearers (-3.5%)
Per 100,000 0.29
Rank movement Down 2,164 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #27,386 | 829 | 0.31 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #27,354 | 883 | 0.30 | +54 bearers (+6.5%) | Up 32 places |
| 2020 | #29,518 | 852 | 0.29 | -31 bearers (-3.5%) | Down 2,164 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 Winterbottom 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 | #27,354 | #29,518 | -7.9% |
| Count | 883 | 852 | -3.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.30 | 0.29 | -5.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Winterbottom bearers went from 883 to 852 (-3.5% change). The surname moved down 2,164 positions in the national ranking, going from #27,354 to #29,518.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Winterbottom
FAQ
Winterbottom surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Winterbottom?
Name Census estimates that about 977 living Americans carry the surname Winterbottom. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 350,823 residents.
How common is Winterbottom?
Winterbottom ranks #29,518 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.29 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 852 people with the surname Winterbottom. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (977), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.29 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.29 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 Winterbottom.
Has Winterbottom become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Winterbottom went from 883 recorded bearers to 852. That is a decrease of 31 (-3.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #27,354 to #29,518.
What does the Census say about the background of Winterbottom?
Among Census respondents with the surname Winterbottom, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (3.3%). 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 Winterbottom in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.7% (773 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Winterbottom appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.7%), Two or More Races (3.5%), Hispanic (3.3%). 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 Winterbottom (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 Winterbottom mean?
A surname indicating someone who lived near a valley or deep hollow. 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 Winterbottom (0.29 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 many Americans have the surname Winterbottom?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.