Fun Facts About the Name Winter
- More than 16 thousand babies named Winter: U.S. records list 16,641 babies given the name Winter from 1880 through 2025. Even 1,035 boys received the name Winter - about 1 boy for every 15 girls.
What Does the Name Winter Mean?
Winter is an English word name taken directly from the season, and its established meaning is simply "winter," the coldest season of the year. The English noun comes from Old English winter, which is matched by forms across the Germanic languages: Old Saxon wintar, Old High German wintar, Old Norse vetr, and Gothic wintrus. These point back to a reconstructed Proto-Germanic noun, *wintruz.
The deeper Indo-European origin of that Germanic word is uncertain. One long-standing suggestion links it to the same root that produced English water and wet, which would give an original sense along the lines of "wet season" or "rainy season." That explanation is a proposal rather than a settled derivation, and the word's pre-Germanic history remains unclear. Any symbolic readings of the name, such as coldness, stillness, or purity, are later associations rather than part of the name's literal meaning.
Winter Name History & Origins
Because Winter is an ordinary English word, it differs from names such as John or Katherine: it has no long chain of inherited forms running back through Latin, Greek, or Hebrew, and it is chosen for its meaning rather than passed down as a traditional personal name. It belongs with the small set of English word names drawn from the seasons and from nature, where Summer and Autumn also appear.
Before it was much used as a first name, Winter was a family name. In medieval England it appears as a surname, where it could be a nickname for someone born in winter or for a person of wintry temperament, or simply a name taken from the season. In German-speaking regions, Winter is likewise a common surname, drawn from the season and in some cases from an older Germanic personal name of similar sound. The surname use is older and better attested than the given-name use.
As a personal name, Winter is a modern word-name usage in English-speaking countries, given to both boys and girls, though it appears more often for girls. It is related in style, but not in origin, to other seasonal word names. The surname and the given name share the same source word, but they developed along separate paths.
How Popular is the Name Winter?
Winter recorded its highest annual U.S. birth count in 2022. Its best rank was #306 in 2022.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #426 | 732 | 0.0455% |
| 2024 | #385 | 816 | 0.0506% |
| 2023 | #369 | 830 | 0.0518% |
| 2022 | #306 | 1,051 | 0.0641% |
| 2021 | #322 | 1,011 | 0.0617% |
| 2020 | #315 | 1,009 | 0.0625% |
| 2019 | #325 | 983 | 0.0586% |
| 2018 | #388 | 799 | 0.0470% |
| 2017 | #446 | 709 | 0.0411% |
| 2016 | #504 | 621 | 0.0351% |
| 2015 | #547 | 568 | 0.0318% |
| 2014 | #553 | 560 | 0.0314% |
| 2013 | #660 | 432 | 0.0246% |
| 2012 | #772 | 358 | 0.0203% |
| 2011 | #1,040 | 240 | 0.0136% |
| 2010 | #1,121 | 220 | 0.0124% |
| 2009 | #1,014 | 261 | 0.0142% |
| 2008 | #1,095 | 238 | 0.0126% |
| 2007 | #1,364 | 178 | 0.0093% |
| 2006 | #1,182 | 206 | 0.0108% |
| 2005 | #1,209 | 190 | 0.0103% |
| 2004 | #1,117 | 205 | 0.0112% |
| 2003 | #1,185 | 182 | 0.0100% |
| 2002 | #1,050 | 205 | 0.0114% |
| 2001 | #1,044 | 206 | 0.0114% |
| 2000 | #1,167 | 173 | 0.0095% |
| 1999 | #1,158 | 169 | 0.0095% |
| 1998 | #1,045 | 189 | 0.0107% |
| 1997 | #1,073 | 177 | 0.0102% |
| 1996 | #1,077 | 173 | 0.0099% |
| 1995 | #1,259 | 135 | 0.0077% |
| 1994 | #1,367 | 122 | 0.0068% |
| 1993 | #1,693 | 89 | 0.0049% |
| 1992 | #1,829 | 79 | 0.0043% |
| 1991 | #1,931 | 73 | 0.0039% |
| 1990 | #1,877 | 76 | 0.0040% |
| 1989 | #1,872 | 71 | 0.0039% |
| 1988 | #2,010 | 60 | 0.0034% |
| 1987 | #1,677 | 73 | 0.0042% |
| 1986 | #1,784 | 65 | 0.0038% |
| 1985 | #2,081 | 52 | 0.0030% |
| 1984 | #1,489 | 78 | 0.0046% |
| 1983 | #1,318 | 92 | 0.0055% |
| 1982 | #1,277 | 101 | 0.0060% |
| 1981 | #1,208 | 109 | 0.0065% |
| 1980 | #1,029 | 140 | 0.0084% |
| 1979 | #706 | 241 | 0.0150% |
| 1978 | #1,001 | 137 | 0.0089% |
| 1977 | #2,836 | 29 | 0.0019% |
| 1976 | #3,406 | 21 | 0.0014% |
| 1975 | #7,156 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1974 | #6,250 | 9 | 0.0006% |
| 1973 | #6,069 | 9 | 0.0006% |
| 1972 | #7,280 | 7 | 0.0005% |
| 1970 | #7,977 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1969 | #8,687 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1967 | #6,031 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1964 | #7,797 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1963 | #7,643 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1961 | #6,557 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1954 | #6,609 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #1,990 | 77 | 0.0045% |
| 2024 | #2,358 | 60 | 0.0035% |
| 2023 | #2,434 | 56 | 0.0033% |
| 2022 | #2,239 | 65 | 0.0037% |
| 2021 | #2,078 | 71 | 0.0041% |
| 2020 | #2,545 | 51 | 0.0030% |
| 2019 | #2,624 | 50 | 0.0028% |
| 2018 | #3,236 | 36 | 0.0020% |
| 2017 | #2,888 | 42 | 0.0023% |
| 2016 | #2,686 | 46 | 0.0024% |
| 2015 | #3,425 | 33 | 0.0017% |
| 2014 | #3,229 | 35 | 0.0018% |
| 2013 | #4,967 | 19 | 0.0010% |
| 2012 | #3,295 | 34 | 0.0018% |
| 2011 | #6,559 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 2010 | #7,064 | 12 | 0.0006% |
| 2009 | #6,075 | 15 | 0.0008% |
| 2008 | #6,050 | 15 | 0.0007% |
| 2007 | #6,248 | 14 | 0.0007% |
| 2006 | #6,889 | 12 | 0.0006% |
| 2005 | #4,058 | 23 | 0.0012% |
| 2004 | #6,504 | 12 | 0.0006% |
| 2003 | #4,607 | 18 | 0.0009% |
| 2002 | #3,666 | 24 | 0.0012% |
| 2001 | #3,968 | 21 | 0.0011% |
| 2000 | #5,035 | 15 | 0.0008% |
| 1999 | #5,020 | 14 | 0.0007% |
| 1998 | #4,638 | 15 | 0.0008% |
| 1997 | #4,949 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 1996 | #5,179 | 12 | 0.0006% |
| 1995 | #4,503 | 14 | 0.0007% |
| 1994 | #5,439 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 1993 | #6,791 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1992 | #8,402 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1991 | #9,604 | 5 | 0.0002% |
| 1986 | #6,705 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1985 | #7,556 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1984 | #6,292 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1983 | #4,897 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1981 | #5,457 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1980 | #5,512 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1979 | #4,397 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1978 | #5,047 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1977 | #6,837 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1974 | #4,181 | 8 | 0.0005% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
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How the Name Winter Shapes Your Personality and Life?
To express itself, you must follow the divine law of love. You have great persistence and hate to give up. You are a good mixer, charming, magnetic and intuitive. The spirituality is the key to success. You are intuitive and might be interested in the arts, drama or science.
Position and social status is very important for you and you are always looking for way to improve your position in society. You have power and ability to chose your own destiny and achieve anything you want in life. You can expand in any direction according to your will and the set of values. You have passion for justice and belong to the position of authority. You have an inherent courage and endurance to accomplish "The Impossible Dream". With the power comes responsibility. You hold keys to the material world, but with this gift comes high spiritual responsibility to be fair and true to others. You are philosophical and mature, determined and intense with a desire to endure, often religious.
✦ Winter's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Winter's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.