Given name & surname
Winston
“of the joy stone; from the friendly town”
Winston is used as a given name and a surname. One English interpretation is “of the joy stone; from the friendly town.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
One English interpretation is “of the joy stone; from the friendly town.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is English.
How it developed
It entered given-name use through an existing surname.
The story
Its naming history includes the use of a family name as a given name.
Winston through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 32,956
- 32,794 boys · 162 girls
- Most popular year
- 2019
- 866 babies
- 2025
- 830
- #382 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +4%
- Steady
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 830 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 382 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 3.8% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 860 in 2019. In 2025, California had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (71). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 24,635 as a first name in 2020; 20,691 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Winston’s family of names
In English usage, Winston has a diminutive in Winnie. Winston has a related form in Win. In English usage, Winston has a diminutive in Win.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 11
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
- Winniediminutive · English
- Wynstonvariant
- Winclipped form · English
- Winnvariant
- Wynstenvariant
- Winstenvariant
- Winsttonlikely variant
- Winnstonlikely variant
Show 3 moreShow fewer
Spellings & scripts 2
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 1
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Winston
- Winston ChurchillBritish statesman, soldier and writer (1874–1965)
- Winston ReidNew Zealand association football playerborn 1988
- Peter ToshJamaican reggae singer and musician (1944–1987)
- Baldwin SpencerPrime Minister of Antigua and Barbudaborn 1948
- Winston DukeTobagonian actorborn 1986
- Winston GroomAmerican writer (1943-2020)
- Winston BogardeDutch footballerborn 1970
- Burning SpearJamaican roots reggae musicianborn 1945
- Winston GrahamEnglish novelist (1908–2003)
Characters named Winston: Winston Smith (George Orwell's novel Nineteen Eighty Four), Winston Zeddemore (the Ghostbusters franchise).
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Winston, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
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95% boys · 5% girls
Wesley
“from the western meadow”
98% boys · 2% girls