2000
#131,366
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Winthers
An English occupational surname derived from someone who worked with wind or operated a windmill.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 138 Americans carry the last name Winthers. That puts it at #142,049 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,483,727 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Winthers 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.
Bearers in the US
138
1 in 2,483,727
Census rank
#142,049
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
120
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 120 bearers of the surname Winthers in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142049th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Winthers, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.7%. The next largest groups are Black (15.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Winthers
The surname Winthers is believed to have its origins in Northern Europe, particularly in Scandinavia. The name likely emerges from Denmark or Norway around the early medieval period, circa 12th to 14th centuries. It is potentially derived from the Old Norse word "vetr," meaning "winter," or Old Danish and Old Norwegian "vindr," meaning "wind." These elements suggest that the name may have been occupational, descriptive, or locational, referring to someone who lived in a windy area or had some association with winter conditions.
One of the earliest recorded spellings of the surname can be traced back to medieval Scandinavian manuscripts and land records. For instance, a historical reference from the 13th century mentions a person named Erik Winthersson in Denmark. The suffix -son indicates "son of Winther," pointing to Winther as a given name during that period, which subsequently evolved into a surname.
In the town of Viborg, Denmark, a 14th-century legal document reports an Anders Winthers, who is noted as a landowner and trader. His prominence in local records underscores the name’s establishment in Danish territories by the late Middle Ages. Additionally, in Norway, a mid-15th century church registry includes a mention of Olav Winthers, a local official, indicating the name's migration and adaptation across neighboring Scandinavian regions.
The surname appears again in the 16th century with the figure Jens Winthers, born in 1520 and a noted Danish merchant who expanded trade routes across the Baltic Sea. His contributions to commerce and regional trade reflect the influence of individuals bearing the name during the Renaissance era in Scandinavia.
In the early 18th century, Hans Winthers, born 1703 in Copenhagen, became a prominent figure in the Danish military, attaining the rank of colonel. His military records and personal correspondence are preserved in the Danish National Archives, providing a wealth of information about the family’s continued prominence.
The transitional spelling variations of the name include Wintherr and Vinhers, reflecting regional dialects and linguistic shifts over centuries. One significant individual during the 19th century is Ole Winthers, born in 1825, a well-known Norwegian poet and author whose works were instrumental in the Norwegian literary renaissance.
Throughout history, the surname Winthers is tied to various individuals who contributed to their respective fields, underlining the name's deep-rooted presence in Northern European heritage.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Winthers
Among Census respondents with the surname Winthers, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.7%. The next largest groups are Black (15.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Winthers 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 Winthers surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White81.7% · 98
- Black or African American15.0% · 18
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.7% · 2
- Hispanic or Latino0.8% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Winthers
Winthers 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
#136,449
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 123
+4 bearers (+3.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 5,083 places
2020
#142,049
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
-3 bearers (-2.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 5,600 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #131,366 | 119 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #136,449 | 123 | 0.04 | +4 bearers (+3.4%) | Down 5,083 places |
| 2020 | #142,049 | 120 | 0.04 | -3 bearers (-2.4%) | Down 5,600 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 Winthers 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 | #136,449 | #142,049 | -4.1% |
| Count | 123 | 120 | -2.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 0.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Winthers bearers went from 123 to 120 (-2.4% change). The surname moved down 5,600 positions in the national ranking, going from #136,449 to #142,049.
FAQ
Winthers surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Winthers?
Name Census estimates that about 138 living Americans carry the surname Winthers. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,483,727 residents.
How common is Winthers?
Winthers ranks #142,049 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 120 people with the surname Winthers. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (138), 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 Winthers.
Has Winthers become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Winthers went from 123 recorded bearers to 120. That is a decrease of 3 (-2.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #136,449 to #142,049.
What does the Census say about the background of Winthers?
Among Census respondents with the surname Winthers, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.7%. The next largest groups are Black (15.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.7%). 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 Winthers in the 2020 Census, accounting for 81.7% (98 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Winthers appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (81.7%), Black (15.0%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.7%). 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 Winthers (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 Winthers mean?
An English occupational surname derived from someone who worked with wind or operated a windmill. 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 Winthers (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 surname Winthers?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.