girl's name
Winifred
WIN-i-fred
- Origin Welsh
- Gender Girl
- Syllables 3
- Letters 8
- Popularity Top 1000 (US)
- Births on record 48,713
the United States
#922
2025 births
Winifred is two names that English collapsed into one — the Welsh Gwenfrewi and the Anglo-Saxon Winfrid, unrelated in every element, and our data marks the result reviving with England setting its peak this year.
- Winifred is a name of Welsh origin.
- Peaked in 1918, when 1,640 babies were given the name.
- After peaking in the 1910s it fell out of use, and is now climbing again — a classic revival.
- Today about 1 in 11,674 babies in the United States is given this name.
- 3 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Winifred over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1880s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 1,314 |
| 1890s | 2,293 |
| 1900s | 2,717 |
| 1910s | 10,460 |
| 1920s | 12,400 |
| 1930s | 5,490 |
| 1940s | 3,855 |
| 1950s | 2,620 |
| 1960s | 1,324 |
| 1970s | 483 |
| 1980s | 219 |
| 1990s | 191 |
| 2000s | 255 |
| 2010s | 1,095 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 1,484 |
What Winifred means
Winifred means blessed reconciliation from the Welsh, or friend of peace from the Old English. The two sources share no element, and English use draws on both without distinguishing them.
Where Winifred comes from
Winifred conflates two separate names. The Welsh Gwenfrewi joins gwen, white, fair or blessed, to a second element usually read as reconciliation. The Old English Winfrid joins wine, a friend, to frid, peace — and was the birth name of Saint Boniface, the Englishman who evangelised Germany. Saint Winefride's Well at Holywell has been a pilgrimage site for centuries; her legend has her beheaded by a rejected suitor and restored by her uncle.
Winifred in use
Winifred peaked in the United States in 1918, when 1,640 babies were registered, and our data marks it reviving. It now ranks 364th in England and Wales on 118 births, 595th in Scotland on 5 and 922nd in the United States on 284, across 48,713 lifetime births in four of the seven markets we track. England and Wales set its own peak in the most recent year we hold, which is a revival visible in the current data rather than inferred.
How popular is Winifred?
In 2025, Winifred was given to 284 babies in the United States, ranking #922 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Where Winifred is used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
Names that peaked alongside Winifred
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Winifred also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Winifred over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
3 nicknames for Winifred
Each one is a name in its own right — the figure underneath is how it is doing today, so you can see which short forms are rising and which have faded.
Winifred in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
Sibling names for Winifred
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Winifred — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Winifred
What does the name Winifred mean?
Blessed reconciliation from the Welsh Gwenfrewi, or friend of peace from the Old English Winfrid.
Are those the same name?
No. They share no element; English collapsed them together.
Who was Saint Winefride?
Her legend has her beheaded by a rejected suitor and restored. Her well at Holywell is still a pilgrimage site.
Is Winifred coming back?
Our data marks it reviving, and England and Wales set its peak in the most recent year we hold.
How popular is the name Winifred?
In 2025, Winifred was given to 284 babies in the United States, ranking #922 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Is Winifred a girl's or a boy's name?
Winifred is given almost entirely to girls in birth records.
How many syllables are in Winifred?
Winifred has 3 syllables.
When was Winifred most popular?
Winifred peaked in 1918, when 1,640 babies were given the name. After peaking in the 1910s it fell out of use, and is now climbing again — a classic revival.
What are the nicknames for Winifred?
Winifred is usually shortened to Winnie, Freddie and Win.
Is Winifred a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Winifred currently ranks #364 in the United States. After peaking in the 1910s it fell out of use, and is now climbing again — a classic revival. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.