Surname Winder - Meaning and Origin
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Winder: What does the surname Winder mean?
The last name Winder is of English origin, and is thought to have originated from the term "winnander", which means a winding or winding path. It may also be derived from "windere", an Old English word for a furrow or a turnpike.
The term "winder" can also be a nickname for someone who tends to wander or travel a lot. So, some people with the last name Winder may have ancestors who traveled a lot or who followed a winding path.
Some family history sources attribute the name Winder to locational origins, in which people took the name of the place they hailed from. Location names often became surnames when people moved to another place.
The surname Winder is found in records from many different parts of England, as well as other parts of the British Isles. It also can be found in records from parts of the United States and Canada. One of the earliest recorded versions of the name comes from the county of North Yorkshire in England.
Today, the last name Winder is still found in many places throughout the English-speaking world. It is an interesting last name, with many potential meanings and origins. From the winding paths of Old English winnanders to the furrow hidden amongst the heather, from the wanderings of travellers to the place names of their homelands, the last name Winder is full of mystery.
Order DNA origin analysisWinder: Where does the name Winder come from?
The last name Winder is most prevalent in the United States, particularly in the northern and eastern parts of the country. Today, Winder is the 1,121st most common surname in the United States according to the Social Security Administration's 2020 rankings. The states with the highest concentration of Winder families are Kentucky, Ohio, Maryland, Tennessee, and Indiana.
The surname appears to have originated in England and is believed to be derived from the Old English word wīnder. The term could have been used as a reference to someone who lived at or near a windmill or who worked at one.
The family was first recorded in England in 1086, when a man named Godin Wavere (“waver” or “winder”) served as witness to a grant at Holm in Lincolnshire. It is likely that subsequent bearers of the name dispersed across Europe with the Norman Conquest.
Today, Winder is widely dispersed through Europe and North America, with bearers of the name found in France, Germany, and Canada, and the United States. It is most frequent in the South and Midwest, with the largest population of Winders found in the states of Kentucky, Ohio, Maryland, Tennessee, and Indiana.
Variations of the surname Winder
The surname Winder is an English toponymic name that originated from English places. It is derived from the Old English meaning “dweller near a windmill,” which is derived from wndor and mylen. The surname is found in many spellings and variants such as Wynder, Wyndor, Winders, Winder, Wynn, Wender, and Wynderman.
Wynder is the most common spelling variant of the name and is found mostly in England and Germany. In Scotland, the name is usually spelled Wyndor. In Ireland, it is commonly spelled Winder or Wender. In the United States, the spelling tends to be Winders.
The name is also found in variant forms such as Wind or Wynd, Winn, Wynn, Wine, Wynns, and Wendes. The name is occasionally found spelled with the Swedish spelling Windbladh or the Danish spelling Vind.
Variant surnames of Winder include Winderl, Windert, Windes, Windis, and Wynders. There are also rare or obsolete spelling variants such as Windels, Windhels, Windrells, Windells, Wyndell, Windale, Winde, Wintels, Wyndall, Wendal, Wintles, and Windrade.
The name is also found in Dutch, French, and Germanic forms such as Winter, Winderl, Wintter, Winther, and Wintzer. The variant surname of Windhorn is also related to the Winder name, originating from a place near a windmill. The variant surname of WindSmart is related to the surname Winder and is found mostly in the United States.
Famous people with the name Winder
- Ryan Winder: professional footballer who currently plays with the English Premier League team Burnley F.C.
- Sakina Winder: a social entrepreneur, writer, and mentor.
- John Winder: one of the top stuntmen in Hollywood, with over 50 films to his name.
- Les Winder: the professional tennis player from Great Britain and a former UK no. 1.
- Nigel Winder: an English musician and songwriter who has played on albums with the likes of Iron Maiden and Judas Priest.
- Tyler Winder: an American professional baseball player with the Milwaukee Brewers.
- John Winder: an Australian jazz guitarist and composer.
- Chris Winder: a Canadian music producer and audio engineer.
- Sia Winder: an Australian actress who’s best known for her role on the TV show “Neighbours”.
- Brad Winder: an American soccer coach and former player who's most recently been involved with the San Jose Earthquakes.