Show ContentsWinger History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Early Origins of the Winger family

The surname Winger was first found in Durham where they held a family seat at Wingate (now Wingate-Grange), in the parish of Kelloe. 1 2

Wingate dates back to c. 1070-1080 when it was first listed as Windegatum and literally meant "wind-swept gap(s) or pass(es)" from the Old English words "wind-geat." The township of Windgates is in Northumberland and it dates back to 1208 when it was first listed as Wyndegates. 3

Not withstanding the above, we must look to Northumberland for the first record of the family. For it is there that Aldret de Windegate c. 1145-1165 was registered. Over in Kent, Henry de Wingate was found there in the Pipe Rolls of 1204. And the Subsidy Rolls of 1332 listed David de Windyates in Cumberland in 1332. 4

Further to the north in Scotland, the name is "of territorial origin probably from Wingate in Northumberland. There is a Wingate in the parish of Kelloe, county Durham, and there is a Windygates in Fife. The greater number of references point to the West Coast. "Windegaitis of yt Ilk" (Wingates of that Ilk) carry a portcullis as relative to the name. Bartholomew de Windegates was one of an inquest as to the lands of Ada de Baylloil in Northumberland, 1251." 5

Early History of the Winger family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Winger research. Another 215 words (15 lines of text) covering the years 1251, 1510, 1512, 1518, 1519, 1530, 1550, 1554, 1589, 1592, 1596, 1600, 1606, 1620, 1640, 1648, 1656 and 1685 are included under the topic Early Winger History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Winger Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Wingate, Windgate, Wyngate, Wingett, Wingit and others.

Early Notables of the Winger family

Notable amongst the family name during their early history was Ninian Winzet, Winyet or Wingate (1518-1592), Scottish controversialist, born in Renfrew. "Families of the same name held property and rented lands in Glasgow and the vicinity. " 6Edmund Wingate (1596-1656), was an English mathematical and legal writer, one of the first to publish in the 1620s on the principle of the...
Another 61 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Winger Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Winger Ranking

In the United States, the name Winger is the 6,138th most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 7


United States Winger migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Winger Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Ann Winger, aged 56, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1735 8
  • Lazerus Winger, aged 19, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1735 8
  • Jacob Winger, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1754 8
Winger Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • John Winger, who arrived in Mobile, Ala in 1862 8

Contemporary Notables of the name Winger (post 1700) +

  • Debra Lynn Winger (b. 1955), American three-time Academy Award nominated actress from Cleveland Heights, Ohio, best known for roles in An Officer and a Gentleman (1982), Terms of Endearment (1983), and Shadowlands (1993)
  • Charles Frederick Kip Winger (b. 1961), American rock musician, a member of the rock band Winger
  • Oscar Winger, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Minnesota, 1956 9
  • Jacob B. Winger, American Republican politician, Postmaster at Springfield, Missouri, 1864-66 9
  • Charles O. Winger, American politician, Prohibition Candidate for Secretary of State of Minnesota, 1894 9
  • Al Winger, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Colorado, 1944 9


The Winger Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Suum cuique
Motto Translation: To every man his own.


  1. Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
  2. Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
  3. Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
  4. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  5. Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
  6. Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
  7. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  8. Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
  9. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 12) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


Houseofnames.com on Facebook