Explore the Family Name Winston
The meaning of Winston
1. English: habitational name principally from Winson and Winstone (Gloucestershire) or Winston (Suffolk), occasionally perhaps from Winston (Durham), Winston in Brixton (Devon), or Winstone Farm near Wroxall (Isle of Wight). Winstone (Gloucestershire) derives from the Old English personal name Wynna + Old English stān ‘stone’. Winson (Gloucestershire) and the Suffolk, Durham, and Devon placenames derive from the Old English personal name Wine (genitive Wines) + Old English tūn ‘farmstead, estate’. The Isle of Wight placename derives from the Old English personal name Wynsige + Old English tūn. 2. English: from the Middle English personal name Wynstan (Old English Wynstān, from wynn ‘joy’ + stān ‘stone’). 3. Welsh (southern): adopted for Welsh Trewin ‘house or farm (tref) of Wyn’. According to Morgan and Morgan, it is thought that Tre-wyn in Crucornau Fawr in Gwent (Monmouthshire) is the source of this Welsh surname. This name has been established in the county of Waterford, Ireland, since 1573. 4. Americanized form of Jewish Weinstein.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Winston in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census, the surname Winston has seen a slight shift in popularity from 2000 to 2010. In 2000, it ranked as the 1605th most popular surname, but by 2010, it had dropped slightly to the 1662nd position, marking a decrease of 3.55%. Despite this drop in ranking, an interesting point to note is that the actual count of individuals with the Winston surname increased by 5.5% during the same period. The proportion per 100k also saw a small decrease of -3.42% over the decade.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #1,605 | #1,662 | -3.55% |
| Count | 20,537 | 21,667 | 5.5% |
| Proportion per 100k | 7.61 | 7.35 | -3.42% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Winston
The ethnic identity associated with the Winston surname also underwent some changes between 2000 and 2010, according to the Decennial U.S. Census data. The largest growth was seen among those identifying as Hispanic, which increased by 64.14%. The Asian/Pacific Islander and Two or more races categories also showed significant growth, with increases of 40.38% and 34.69% respectively. The percentage of people with the Winston surname who identified as White decreased by 6.39%, while the Black category remained relatively stable with a negligible change of 0.02%. The proportion identifying as American Indian and Alaskan Native fell slightly by 9.68%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Black | 62.65% | 62.66% | 0.02% |
| White | 32.37% | 30.3% | -6.39% |
| Two or More Races | 2.71% | 3.65% | 34.69% |
| Hispanic | 1.45% | 2.38% | 64.14% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0.52% | 0.73% | 40.38% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.31% | 0.28% | -9.68% |
Winston 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 Winston is British & Irish, which comprises 35.2% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are Ashkenazi Jewish (15.0%) and French & German (13.2%). Additional ancestries include Nigerian, Ghanaian, Liberian & Sierra Leonean, Eastern European, Angolan & Congolese, and Italian.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| British & Irish | 35.2% |
| Ashkenazi Jewish | 15.0% |
| French & German | 13.2% |
| Other | 36.6% |
Possible origins of the surname Winston
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 Winston have recent ancestry locations in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Ireland.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Greater London, United Kingdom | 60.50% |
| Merseyside, United Kingdom | 60.50% |
| Greater Manchester, United Kingdom | 60.20% |
| West Midlands, United Kingdom | 59.60% |
| Glasgow City, United Kingdom | 58.70% |
What Winston 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 Winston is R-FGC924, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup R-FGC924 is descended from haplogroup R-M343. Other common haplogroups include E-P252 and R-CTS241, which are predominantly found among people with Sub-Saharan African and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Reid, Scott, Joseph, Russell, Robinson, Banks, James, Louis, Burnett, Brown.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Winston surname are: H1, T2b, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.
Paternal Haplogroup Origins R-M343
Your paternal lineage may be linked to King Louis XVI
The rule of France by men of the House of Bourbon began with King Henri IV in 1589 C.E. and continued until the beheading of his direct paternal descendant King Louis XVI in 1793. Several years ago, researchers analyzed a mummified head and a blood-soaked cloth that they believed might belong to the two kings, and concluded that the royal paternal line belonged to haplogroup G. In a more recent study, however, a different set of researchers tested three living men who are direct descendants of the Bourbon kings. Their efforts revealed that the male lineage of the House of Bourbon is actually a branch of haplogroup R-M405.
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.
What do people with the surname Winston 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
Chocolate Ice Cream
Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.
"Winston" Surname 33.3%
23andMe Users 41.3%
Traits
Misophonia
When sounds made by others, like the sound of chewing or yawning, provoke strong emotional reactions in an individual.
"Winston" Surname 29.2%
23andMe Users 27.9%
Habits
Sugary Drink
Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.
"Winston" Surname 18.7%
23andMe Users 21.1%
Wellness
Migraine
A severe headache characterized by intense pain, sensitivity to light and sound, and often accompanied by nausea and vomiting.
"Winston" Surname 15.0%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Winston?
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 Winston are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition