Winifred
Winifred was the 923rd most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 284 babies. Its best year was 1917, when it ranked 141st; the most babies were born in 1918 (1,593). Over the last ten years it has moved up 524 places. More babies were named Winifred in the 1920s than in any other decade.
Meaning Welsh "white/blessed" + uncertain element · Welsh, Old English
Say it WIN-ih-frid /ˈwɪnəfrɪd/
- Rank in 2025
- #923 girls, up 181 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 284girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 19181,593 babies
- Total since 1880
- 46,200babies recorded
What does the name Winifred mean?
Winifred is the English form of the Welsh Gwenfrewi, the name of a 7th-century Welsh saint The first part is Welsh gwen, "white, fair, blessed"; DMNES calls the second element uncertain. In English the name was reshaped to look like Winfrith (Winfred), an Old English name from "friend" and "peace". Winifred was revived in the 19th century and was most common in the US in the 1910s and 1920s.
gwen (Welsh, “white, fair, blessed”)Gwenfrewi (Welsh, “name of the saint”)
How sure is this? Uncertain. DMNES: the second element of Gwenfrewi is of uncertain origin; the resemblance to Old English Winfrith is secondary.
Related names: Winnie, Freda, Gwenfrewi, Win.
See also: Welsh names, names that mean a color.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Winifred', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, ed. S. L. Uckelman, Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Winifred', DMNES (Durham University)
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, ed. S. L. Uckelman, Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Winfred', DMNES (Durham University)
- Wikipedia, 'Winifred', Wikipedia (Wikimedia Foundation)
Nicknames for Winifred
The usual nicknames for Winifred are Winnie and Freddie. Some parents skip the long form: for every 100 girls named Winifred in the last five years, 207 were named Winnie, against 281 twenty years earlier.
| Nickname | Kind | Rank 2025 | Girls, 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winnie · also for Winston, Winona | Traditional | #475 | 2,613 |
| Freddie · also for Frederick, Alfred, Fred | Traditional | #7,612 | 59 |
Nicknames reviewed by our editors; counts are girls given the nickname as their legal first name. Nobody records how many Winifreds go by each one.
Winifred popularity since 1880
A few boys are given the name too: 1,106 since 1882.
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #923 | 284 |
| 2020 | #1,104 | 222 |
| 2010 | #6,172 | 22 |
| 2000 | #5,487 | 21 |
| 1990 | #3,358 | 33 |
| 1980 | #3,066 | 29 |
| 1970 | #1,284 | 85 |
| 1960 | #821 | 162 |
| 1950 | #470 | 297 |
| 1940 | #325 | 384 |
| 1930 | #230 | 699 |
| 1920 | #160 | 1,432 |
| 1910 | #185 | 370 |
| 1900 | #177 | 302 |
| 1890 | #171 | 204 |
| 1880 | #150 | 92 |
How popular is Winifred, counting every spelling?
Winifred is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #773 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #923 for Winifred on its own. Together these spellings went to 354 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winifred | 284 | #923 | 1,262 |
| Winnifred | 70 | #2,540 | 311 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Winifred?
284 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Winifred (0.08 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Winifred born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 30 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Winifred.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Winifred?
About 10,000 people born in the US named Winifred are alive today, with a median age of 68; half are between 14 and 80. That makes Winifred a name most people associate with older generations. The wide spread shows a name popular in two different eras.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Winifred by state
How common Winifred was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Minnesota (2.9×), Wisconsin (2.8×), Massachusetts (2.5×), Michigan (2.2×), Illinois (2.0×). In 20 states fewer than five girls a year got the name, too few for SSA to publish, so those states show as zero.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Winifred: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Winifred, they share its era and feel.
Questions about the name Winifred
What does Winifred mean?
Winifred is usually explained as “Welsh "white/blessed" + uncertain element”, but this is uncertain. Certainty: uncertain.
How popular is the name Winifred?
Winifred was the 923rd most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 284 babies. Its best year was 1917, when it ranked 141st; the most babies were born in 1918 (1,593). Over the last ten years it has moved up 524 places. More babies were named Winifred in the 1920s than in any other decade.
Is Winifred a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Winifred in the US.
Where is Winifred most popular?
In 2021–2025, Winifred was most common in Minnesota (0.45 per 1,000 girls), followed by Wisconsin and Maine.