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Name Lineage

    The first name Winifred

    A girl’s name from Welsh.

    3 syllables Female

    Meaning and origin

    Welsh origin

    From Old English Winfriþ, from Welsh Gwenfrewi.

    From Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).

    Popularity

    Babies registered in England and Wales, 1996–2025

    In 2025, 118 girls were named Winifred, making it the 364th most popular girls’ name.

    0100200 1996200020052010201520202025
    1,231
    babies named Winifred, 1996–2025
    #364
    rank in 2025
    2025
    peak year

    Office for National Statistics; years with fewer than three births are not published and show as zero. Compare Winifred with other names.

    Popularity in the United States

    Babies named Winifred at birth, 1880–2025

    In 2025, 284 girls born in the United States were named Winifred, the 923rd most popular girls’ name that year. It was used most in 1918, when 1,593 were.

    01,0002,000 188018851890189519001905191019151920192519301935194019451950195519601965197019751980198519901995200020052010201520202025
    46,200
    babies named Winifred since 1880
    #923
    rank in 2025
    1918
    peak year

    US Social Security Administration, from applications for a Social Security card. A name is only published for a year when at least five babies were given it, so quieter years show as zero.

    Nicknames and spellings

    Nicknames for Winifred

    Other spellings and forms

    Famous people named Winifred

    30 on Wikidata, most written-about first

    • Winifred McNair
      English tennis player (1877–1954)
    • Winifred Holtby
      British writer (1898–1935)
    • Winifred Asprey
      American computer scientist and mathematician (1917–2007)
    • Winifred Edgerton Merrill
      American mathematician (1862–1951)
    • Winifred Mary Curtis
      British–Australian botanist (1905-2005)
    • Winifred Greenwood
      American actress (1885–1961)
    • Winifred Westover
      American actress (1899–1978)
    • Winifred Bryson
      Actress (1892-1987)
    • Winifred Allen
      American actress (1896-1943)
    • Winifred Kingston
      British actress (1894-1967)
    • Winifred Brunton
      British and South African artist and egyptologist (1880-1959)
    • Winifred Elsie Brenchley
      British botanist and agricultural scientist (1883–1953)

    More Welsh girls’ names

    All 78 names of Welsh origin

    Questions

    What does the name Winifred mean?
    From Old English Winfriþ, from Welsh Gwenfrewi.
    What is the origin of the name Winifred?
    From Old English Winfriþ, from Welsh Gwenfrewi.
    How popular is the name Winifred?
    In 2025, 118 girls born in England and Wales were named Winifred, ranking 364th.
    What are nicknames for Winifred?
    Common nicknames for Winifred include Winnie, Win.
    Is Winifred a boy's or a girl's name?
    Mostly a girl's name: 98% of the 46,200 US babies named Winifred since 1880 were girls.
    When was Winifred most popular?
    1918 in the United States, when 1,593 babies were named Winifred, its highest rank at 145th.
    What are other spellings of Winifred?
    Winnifred.