The first name Winona
A girl’s name meaning “firstborn daughter”, “female”, “first”.
Pronounced /wɪˈnoʊnə/ 3 syllables Female
Meaning and origin
Winona means “firstborn daughter”, “female”, “first”.
From Dakota winúŋna (“firstborn daughter”). While not originally used as a personal name by the Dakota, it has been adopted as such by English speakers. John Koontz suggested that the name was a compound of wi- (“female”) + no (“first”) + -na (a diminutive suffix) and thus a reflex of Proto-Siouan *rǫ/*nǫ (“one”). That root is otherwise unattested in the Sioux languages, which use reflexes of *wį(y)ą (“one”) instead, and a more prosaic analysis identifies the first elements of the name with winyan (“woman”).
From Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Popularity
Babies registered in England and Wales, 1996–2025
In 2025, 24 girls were named Winona, making it the 1,315th most popular girls’ name. It peaked in 2024, with 33 births (#1,036).
Office for National Statistics; years with fewer than three births are not published and show as zero. Compare Winona with other names.
Popularity in the United States
Babies named Winona at birth, 1880–2025
In 2025, 466 girls born in the United States were named Winona, the 627th most popular girls’ name that 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
Other spellings and forms
- Wenona
- Wenonah
- Wynona
Famous people named Winona
2 on Wikidata, most written-about first
- Winona RyderAmerican actress (born 1971)
- Winona LaDukeAuthor and activist, born 1959
Questions
- What does the name Winona mean?
- Winona means “firstborn daughter”, “female”, “first”.
- How popular is the name Winona?
- In 2025, 24 girls born in England and Wales were named Winona, ranking 1,315th. Its peak was 2024, with 33 births.
- Is Winona a boy's or a girl's name?
- Mostly a girl's name: 100% of the 12,953 US babies named Winona since 1880 were girls.
- When was Winona most popular?
- 2025 in the United States, when 466 babies were named Winona, its highest rank at 627th.
- How do you pronounce Winona?
- Winona is /wɪˈnoʊnə/, 3 syllables.
- What are other spellings of Winona?
- Wenona, Wenonah and Wynona.