boys' name ★ peaked 2019

Winston

Meaning farm, village Gender Boy Rank 2025 #382 Trend → Stable

From Old English personal name Wine, in the genitive singular case Wines + tūn (“farm, village”).

Rank 2025
#382
among boys · ↑23 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
830
named Winston · +3% vs 2024
How common
1 in 2,058
boys born in 2025
Peak year
2019
866 babies
All-time total
32,956
#648 all-time among boys
First recorded
1880
in Social Security records

Winston popularity over time

32,956 babies have been named Winston 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
0.190.380.560.7518801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
BoysGirls

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 – 42 42 4 – #756
1890s – 90 90 9 +114% #522
1900s – 195 195 20 +117% #398
1910s 16 1,428 1,444 144 +641% #378
1920s 15 2,330 2,345 235 +62% #354
1930s 16 1,857 1,873 187 -20% #390
1940s 19 3,683 3,702 370 +98% #234
1950s 6 2,534 2,540 254 -31% #399
1960s 6 1,956 1,962 196 -23% #500
1970s – 1,668 1,668 167 -15% #566
1980s 14 1,990 2,004 200 +20% #590
1990s – 2,520 2,520 252 +26% #596
2000s – 2,339 2,339 234 -7% #704
2010s 22 5,486 5,508 551 +135% #372
2020s (to 2025) 48 4,676 4,724 787 +43% #382

Where Winston is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 boys (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 boys Implied rank
2026 838 0.49 #377
2027 844 0.49 #375
2028 850 0.50 #374
2029 855 0.50 #372
2030 859 0.50 #372

Where Winston is most popular

Boys named Winston per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.457 per 1,000. Strongest in South Dakota, West Virginia, and Kentucky.

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

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are boys named Winston 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 Boys 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
South Dakota 36 1.93 +323%
West Virginia 42 1.29 +181%
Kentucky 117 1.17 +155%
Minnesota 138 1.12 +146%
Utah 98 1.03 +124%
Montana 18 1.02 +123%
Iowa 66 0.957 +109%
Wisconsin 113 0.954 +109%
Arkansas 60 0.948 +107%
Alabama 98 0.896 +96%
Mississippi 49 0.862 +89%
Kansas 57 0.831 +82%
Indiana 129 0.805 +76%
Missouri 111 0.801 +75%
Tennessee 143 0.792 +73%
North Dakota 13 0.761 +67%
Washington 124 0.758 +66%
Idaho 28 0.684 +50%
North Carolina 173 0.678 +48%
Michigan 134 0.654 +43%
Oregon 49 0.646 +41%
Ohio 166 0.626 +37%
Virginia 118 0.622 +36%
Maine 12 0.618 +35%
Oklahoma 54 0.611 +33%
South Carolina 62 0.600 +31%
Alaska 7 0.588 +29%
Louisiana 55 0.538 +18%
Colorado 63 0.488 +7%
Pennsylvania 127 0.478 +5%
Georgia 111 0.438 ≈ national
Nebraska 18 0.414 -9%
Massachusetts 54 0.393 -14%
California 352 0.385 -16%
New York 154 0.356 -22%
Illinois 87 0.340 -26%
Maryland 40 0.335 -27%
Hawaii 5 0.322 -30%
Texas 279 0.317 -31%
Arizona 49 0.299 -35%
Florida 141 0.298 -35%
New Hampshire 6 0.270 -41%
New Jersey 39 0.194 -58%
Connecticut 13 0.192 -58%
New Mexico 6 0.182 -60%
Nevada 6 0.105 -77%
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Rhode Island – – –
Vermont – – –
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 Winston

Winston is moderately common for boys in the United States, ranked #382 in 2025 with 830 babies given the name. It is currently rising compared with a decade ago.

Since 1880, 32,956 American babies have been named Winston. Its peak came in 2019, when 866 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 2010s.

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 Winston stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Winston?

The median living Winston is about 23 years old; half are between 7 and 53. An estimated 24 thousand people named Winston are alive in the United States today.

median 23 020406080100

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

Winston 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 – – 830 #382
2024 9 #11,069 799 #405
2023 9 #11,116 798 #398
2022 6 #15,200 761 #420
2021 12 #8,951 762 #409
2020 12 #8,923 726 #408
2019 6 #15,449 860 #372
2018 8 #12,403 790 #404
2017 8 #12,664 782 #405
2016 – – 649 #472
2015 – – 551 #523
2014 – – 518 #538
2013 – – 394 #625
2012 – – 399 #614
2011 – – 305 #745
2010 – – 238 #882
2009 – – 270 #821
2008 – – 270 #815
2007 – – 239 #870
2006 – – 225 #879
2005 – – 244 #794
2004 – – 215 #830
2003 – – 196 #876
2002 – – 218 #794
2001 – – 213 #795
2000 – – 249 #704
1995 – – 243 #681
1990 – – 282 #596
1985 8 #8,303 223 #590
1980 – – 177 #654
1975 – – 161 #644
1970 – – 180 #608
1965 – – 233 #500
1960 – – 189 #569
1955 – – 284 #436
1950 – – 290 #399
1945 – – 271 #361
1940 7 #3,856 329 #310
1935 – – 175 #423
1930 – – 200 #417
1925 5 #5,758 224 #401
1920 5 #5,748 211 #405
1915 – – 197 #381
1910 – – 20 #676
1905 – – 20 #524
1900 – – 13 #741
1895 – – 7 #975
1890 – – 6 #992
1885 – – – –
1880 – – 5 #1,052

Famous people named Winston

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

  1. 1 Winston Churchill Winston Churchill British statesman and writer (1874–1965) 19th century
  2. 2 Winston Duke Winston Duke Tobagonian actor (born 1986) Contemporary
  3. 3 Winston Peters Winston Peters New Zealand politician (born 1945) Contemporary
  4. 4 Winston Bogarde Winston Bogarde Dutch footballer (born 1970) Contemporary
  5. 5 Winston Groom Winston Groom American writer (1943–2020) Contemporary
  6. 6 Winston Graham English novelist (1908–2003) Contemporary
  7. 7 Winston Churchill Winston Churchill American novelist (1871–1947) 19th century
  8. 8 Winston E. Scott Winston E. Scott American navy officer and astronaut (born 1950) Contemporary
  9. 9 Winston Parks Costa Rican footballer (born 1981) Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Winston?

The median living Winston is about 23 years old. Half of all living Winstons are between 7 and 53 years old.

How many people named Winston are alive today?

An estimated 24 thousand people named Winston are alive in the United States, based on 32,956 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Winston mean?

From Old English personal name Wine, in the genitive singular case Wines + tūn (“farm, village”).

How popular is the name Winston in 2025?

Winston ranked #382 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 830 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Winston?

32,956 babies have been named Winston in the United States since 1880, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Winston most popular?

Winston peaked in 2019, when 866 newborns received the name.

Is Winston a boy or girl name?

Winston is overwhelmingly a boy's name: 100% of babies with the name.

Is the name Winston rising or falling?

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

Will Winston become more popular?

Winston looks stable. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 859 boys named Winston in 2030, ranking around #372. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Winston?

Well-known people named Winston include Winston Churchill (politician), Winston Duke (actor), Winston Peters (politician).

Names like Winston

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

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