Winnifred
Winnifred was the 2540th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 70 babies. Its best year was 1888, when it ranked 419th; the most babies were born in 1918 (166). Over the last ten years it has moved up 3,483 places. More babies were named Winnifred in the 1920s than in any other decade.
Meaning (as Winifred) Welsh "white/blessed" + uncertain element · Welsh, Old English
- Rank in 2025
- #2,540 girls, up 550 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 70girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 1918166 babies
- Total since 1880
- 5,127babies recorded
What does the name Winnifred mean?
Winnifred is a spelling of Winifred, pronounced the same way, so it shares Winifred's meaning and origin.
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)
Winnifred popularity since 1880
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #2,540 | 70 |
| 2020 | #3,090 | 52 |
| 2010 | #14,871 | 7 |
| 2000 | — | — |
| 1990 | #15,198 | 5 |
| 1980 | — | — |
| 1970 | #7,064 | 7 |
| 1960 | #3,917 | 12 |
| 1950 | #1,575 | 36 |
| 1940 | #1,113 | 43 |
| 1930 | #893 | 66 |
| 1920 | #568 | 160 |
| 1910 | #619 | 47 |
| 1900 | #542 | 40 |
| 1890 | #547 | 24 |
| 1880 | #627 | 9 |
How popular is Winnifred, counting every spelling?
Winnifred is a spelling of Winifred, a name family that ranked #773 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #2,540 for Winnifred 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 Winnifred?
70 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Winnifred (0.02 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Winnifred 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 120 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Winnifred.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Winnifred?
About 1,300 people born in the US named Winnifred are alive today, with a median age of 56; half are between 6 and 77. That makes Winnifred 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.
Winnifred by state
How common Winnifred was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. In 45 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 Winnifred: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Winnifred, they share its era and feel.
Questions about the name Winnifred
What does Winnifred mean?
Winnifred is a spelling of Winifred, usually explained as “Welsh "white/blessed" + uncertain element”, but this is uncertain. Certainty: uncertain.
How popular is the name Winnifred?
Winnifred was the 2540th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 70 babies. Its best year was 1888, when it ranked 419th; the most babies were born in 1918 (166). Over the last ten years it has moved up 3,483 places. More babies were named Winnifred in the 1920s than in any other decade.
Is Winnifred a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Winnifred in the US.
Where is Winnifred most popular?
In 2021–2025, Winnifred was most common in Minnesota (0.05 per 1,000 girls), followed by Washington and Michigan.