Explore the Family Name Winger

The meaning of Winger

1. English (Essex): from the Middle English personal name Wingar (Old English Winegār, from wine ‘friend’ + gār ‘spear’). 2. German: habitational name for someone from any of several places in Alsace (now part of France) named Wingen. 3. Norwegian: variant of Vinger. This surname is also found in Sweden, where it is very rare. 4. Americanized form of German Wenger. History: This (see 4 above) is a variant of the name of a Mennonite family, originally spelled Wenger.

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name Winger in the United States?

According to the Decennial U.S. Census data, the popularity of the surname Winger saw a slight shift between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, Winger ranked as the 7127th most popular surname, with a count of 4324 and a proportion of 1.6 per 100,000 people. By 2010, the rank had slipped to 7650, despite an increase in count to 4342. This indicates a decrease in popularity by 7.34%, with the proportion per 100,000 people also dipping by 8.12% to 1.47.

20002010Change
Rank#7,127#7,650-7.34%
Count4,3244,3420.42%
Proportion per 100k1.61.47-8.12%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Winger

When we look at the ethnic identities associated with the surname Winger based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, there are some notable changes between 2000 and 2010. The majority of individuals with this last name identify as White, although there was a slight decrease from 95.51% in 2000 to 93.74% in 2010. Meanwhile, there were increases across other ethnicities during the same period. Those identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander rose by 83.33%, from 0.30% to 0.55%. The percentage of people identifying as two or more races increased by 47.42%, from 0.97% to 1.43%. There was also growth among those identifying as Hispanic (from 1.30% to 1.87%) and Black (from 1.50% to 1.98%). The American Indian and Alaskan Native category saw a modest increase of 4.76%, rising from 0.42% to 0.44%.

20002010Change
White95.51%93.74%-1.85%
Black1.5%1.98%32%
Hispanic1.3%1.87%43.85%
Two or More Races0.97%1.43%47.42%
Asian/Pacific Islander0.3%0.55%83.33%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0.42%0.44%4.76%

Winger ancestry composition

23andMe computes an ancestry breakdown for each customer. People may have ancestry from just one population or they may have ancestry from several populations. The most commonly-observed ancestry found in people with the surname Winger is British & Irish, which comprises 39.9% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are French & German (33.8%) and Scandinavian (9.5%). Additional ancestries include Eastern European, Ashkenazi Jewish, Italian, Chinese, and Indigenous American.

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ANCESTRY BREAKDOWNCOMPOSITION
British & Irish39.9%
French & German33.8%
Scandinavian9.5%
Other16.8%
Winger

Possible origins of the surname Winger

Your DNA provides clues about where your recent ancestors may have lived. Having many distant relatives in the same location suggests that you may all share common ancestry there. Locations with many distant relatives can also be places where people have migrated recently, such as large cities. If a large number of individuals who share your surname have distant relatives in a specific area, it could indicate a connection between your surname and that location, stemming from either recent ancestral ties or migration.

Based on 23andMe data, people with last name Winger have recent ancestry locations in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Ireland.

RECENT ANCESTRY LocationPercentage
Lancashire, United Kingdom82.00%
Greater Manchester, United Kingdom82.00%
Tyne And Wear, United Kingdom82.00%
Greater London, United Kingdom82.00%
West Midlands, United Kingdom82.00%

What Winger haplogroups can tell you

Haplogroups are genetic population groups that share a common ancestor on either your paternal or maternal line. These paternal and maternal haplogroups shed light on your genetic ancestry and help tell the story of your family.

The top paternal haplogroup of people with the surname Winger is R-Z209, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup R-Z209 is descended from haplogroup R-M343. Other common haplogroups include R-P312 and I-M170, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Sides, Lomax, Burke, Paradise, Mcvay, Ricker, Herr, Shelby, Benoit, Fidler.

The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Winger surname are: H1, J1c, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.

wingerPaternal Haplogroup Origins R-M343

Your maternal lineage may be linked to Marie Antoinette

Because it is so dominant in the general European population, haplogroup H also appears quite frequently in the continent's royal houses. Marie Antoinette, an Austrian Hapsburg who married into the French royal family, inherited the haplogroup from her maternal ancestors. So did Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, whose recorded genealogy traces his female line to Bavaria. Scientists also discovered that famed 16th century astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus traced his maternal lineages to haplogroup H.

Maternal Haplo Image

What do people with the surname Winger have in common?

Spoiler alert: it's complicated. People with the same last name are usually no more genetically similar than a randomly sampled group of people from the same population. That said, people with the same surname are more likely to have similar ancestries than randomly sampled individuals. The reason is the tendency of people with similar cultural or geographical backgrounds to preferentially mate with one another. That's why people who share a surname may be more likely to share traits and tendencies in common than people within the general population. Check out the percentages below to see the prevalences of tastes, habits, and traits of people with your surname compared with prevalences among 23andMe users.

Preferences

Winger

Chocolate Ice Cream

Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.

"Winger" Surname 39.4%

23andMe Users 41.3%

Traits

Winger

Misophonia

When sounds made by others, like the sound of chewing or yawning, provoke strong emotional reactions in an individual.

"Winger" Surname 25.8%

23andMe Users 27.9%

Habits

Winger

Sugary Drink

Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.

"Winger" Surname 18.6%

23andMe Users 21.1%

Wellness

Winger

Migraine

A severe headache characterized by intense pain, sensitivity to light and sound, and often accompanied by nausea and vomiting.

"Winger" Surname 16.5%

23andMe Users 16.4%

Are health conditions linked to the last name Winger?

The short answer is that, if there is an association between surname and health, it's usually more about your ancestry than your name. Individuals with a given surname are no more genetically similar than the general population but often have similar ancestries. The populations of people associated with those shared ancestries often have sets of genetic variations, also known as alleles, in common. Some of those alleles are associated with a greater likelihood of developing certain diseases.

Disease variant frequency by ancestry

Disease allele frequencies in populations associated with the surname Winger are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition

Age-Related Macular Degeneration

Y402H variant

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the most common cause of irreversible vision loss among older adults. The disease results in damage to the central part of the retina (the macula), impairing vision needed for reading, driving, or even recognizing faces. The 23andMe Health + Ancestry DNA test includes the two most common variants associated with an increased risk of developing the condition: the Y402H variant in the CFH gene and the A69S variant in the ARMS2 gene. Learn more about Age-Related Macular Degeneration

British & Irish 62.1%

23andMe Users 57.2%