girls' name ★ peaked 1918

Winifred

Meaning From Old English Winfriþ, from Welsh Gwenfrewi Gender Girl · 2% boys Rank 2025 #923 Trend ↑ Rising 45%

From Old English Winfriþ, from Welsh Gwenfrewi.

Rank 2025
#923
among girls · ↑110 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
284
named Winifred · +16% vs 2024
How common
1 in 5,659
girls born in 2025
Peak year
1918
1,640 babies
All-time total
46,200
#636 all-time among girls
First recorded
1880
in Social Security records

Winifred popularity over time

46,200 babies have been named Winifred since 1880, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
0.380.751.131.518801900192019401960198020002020GirlsBoys
GirlsBoys

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Boys Total Per year Change Best rank
1880s 1,309 5 1,314 131 – #146
1890s 2,293 – 2,293 229 +75% #150
1900s 2,689 28 2,717 272 +18% #177
1910s 10,255 205 10,460 1,046 +285% #141
1920s 12,083 317 12,400 1,240 +19% #160
1930s 5,289 201 5,490 549 -56% #230
1940s 3,724 131 3,855 386 -30% #324
1950s 2,501 119 2,620 262 -32% #470
1960s 1,252 72 1,324 132 -49% #801
1970s 461 22 483 48 -64% #1,284
1980s 213 6 219 22 -55% #3,066
1990s 191 – 191 19 -13% #3,358
2000s 255 – 255 26 +34% #4,101
2010s 1,095 – 1,095 110 +329% #1,215
2020s (to 2025) 1,484 – 1,484 247 +126% #923

Where Winifred is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 girls (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 girls Implied rank
2026 304 0.19 outside top 500
2027 321 0.20 outside top 500
2028 337 0.21 outside top 500
2029 352 0.22 outside top 500
2030 364 0.23 outside top 500

Where Winifred is most popular

Girls named Winifred per 1,000 girls born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.156 per 1,000. Strongest in Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Maine.

Vs national average
well below below near national above well above no data

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are girls named Winifred born 2021–2025; the per-1,000 rate makes states of different sizes comparable, and the last column shows each state against the national average.

State Girls 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
Minnesota 48 0.445 +186%
Wisconsin 45 0.437 +181%
Maine 6 0.388 +149%
Massachusetts 46 0.380 +145%
Michigan 62 0.340 +119%
Illinois 70 0.306 +97%
Colorado 31 0.278 +79%
Washington 40 0.277 +78%
Ohio 65 0.274 +76%
Indiana 38 0.271 +74%
Pennsylvania 60 0.254 +63%
Oregon 15 0.230 +48%
Utah 19 0.228 +47%
Virginia 36 0.211 +36%
Iowa 11 0.188 +21%
Missouri 22 0.183 +17%
Kansas 10 0.173 +11%
New York 68 0.172 +10%
North Carolina 37 0.163 ≈ national
Nebraska 5 0.139 -11%
Georgia 27 0.119 -24%
Tennessee 18 0.114 -27%
Maryland 11 0.104 -33%
California 79 0.094 -40%
Kentucky 8 0.094 -40%
Connecticut 5 0.086 -45%
New Jersey 14 0.078 -50%
Texas 61 0.076 -51%
South Carolina 6 0.067 -57%
Alabama 6 0.064 -59%
Florida 24 0.056 -64%
Alaska – – –
Arkansas – – –
Arizona – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Idaho – – –
Louisiana – – –
Mississippi – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
Oklahoma – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Dakota – – –
Vermont – – –
West Virginia – – –
Wyoming – – –

State counts come from the Social Security Administration's state files, which omit any state-year with fewer than five babies of a name, so small states can undercount slightly.

The story of Winifred

Winifred is uncommon for girls in the United States, ranked #923 in 2025 with 284 babies given the name. It is currently rising compared with a decade ago.

Since 1880, 46,200 American babies have been named Winifred. Its peak came in 1918, when 1,640 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1910s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Winifred stood among all girls' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Winifred?

The median living Winifred is about 69 years old; half are between 25 and 81. An estimated 11 thousand people named Winifred are alive in the United States today.

median 69 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Winifred year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank Boys Boys rank
2025 284 #923 – –
2024 245 #1,033 – –
2023 269 #963 – –
2022 229 #1,094 – –
2021 235 #1,071 – –
2020 222 #1,104 – –
2019 193 #1,215 – –
2018 154 #1,440 – –
2017 169 #1,371 – –
2016 147 #1,540 – –
2015 160 #1,447 – –
2014 100 #1,995 – –
2013 71 #2,531 – –
2012 49 #3,359 – –
2011 30 #4,800 – –
2010 22 #6,172 – –
2009 38 #4,101 – –
2008 29 #5,135 – –
2007 23 #6,075 – –
2006 27 #5,225 – –
2005 27 #4,952 – –
2004 21 #5,957 – –
2003 22 #5,582 – –
2002 21 #5,664 – –
2001 26 #4,683 – –
2000 21 #5,487 – –
1995 17 #5,673 – –
1990 33 #3,358 – –
1985 15 #5,071 – –
1980 29 #3,066 – –
1975 48 #1,904 – –
1970 85 #1,284 – –
1965 110 #995 7 #3,532
1960 162 #821 8 #3,332
1955 263 #564 14 #2,218
1950 297 #470 13 #2,206
1945 319 #398 15 #1,851
1940 384 #325 17 #1,734
1935 491 #273 22 #1,493
1930 699 #230 21 #1,643
1925 1,221 #178 32 #1,303
1920 1,432 #160 40 #1,138
1915 1,299 #143 22 #1,504
1910 370 #185 – –
1905 276 #180 5 #1,420
1900 302 #177 5 #1,504
1895 234 #176 – –
1890 204 #171 – –
1885 120 #170 – –
1880 92 #150 – –

Famous people named Winifred

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 Winifred Wagner Winifred Wagner Wife of Siegfried Wagner (1897–1980) 19th century
  2. 2 Winifred McNair British tennis player 1877–1954 · 19th century

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Winifred, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Winifred?

The median living Winifred is about 69 years old. Half of all living Winifreds are between 25 and 81 years old.

How many people named Winifred are alive today?

An estimated 11 thousand people named Winifred are alive in the United States, based on 46,200 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Winifred mean?

From Old English Winfriþ, from Welsh Gwenfrewi.

How popular is the name Winifred in 2025?

Winifred ranked #923 among girls' names in the United States in 2025, with 284 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Winifred?

46,200 babies have been named Winifred in the United States since 1880, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Winifred most popular?

Winifred peaked in 1918, when 1,640 newborns received the name.

Is Winifred a boy or girl name?

Winifred is overwhelmingly a girl's name: 98% of babies with the name.

Is the name Winifred rising or falling?

Winifred is on the rise, noticeably more popular now than a decade ago.

Will Winifred become more popular?

Winifred is trending upward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 364 girls named Winifred in 2030, which would rank outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Winifred?

Well-known people named Winifred include Winifred Wagner (writer), Winifred McNair (tennis player).

Names like Winifred

Names that sound and feel close to Winifred: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Winifred with similar names → More names starting with W →