Show ContentsWinship History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Early Origins of the Winship family

The surname Winship was first found in Kent where they held a family seat as Lords of the Manor. The Saxon influence of English history diminished after the Battle of Hastings in 1066. The language of the courts was French for the next three centuries and the Norman ambience prevailed. But Saxon surnames survived and the family name was first referenced in the year 1275 when John Winship held estates.

Early History of the Winship family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Winship research. Another 84 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1455, 1457, 1487 and 1611 are included under the topic Early Winship History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Winship Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Winship, Winnsheep, Winnship, Wincheap, Wenshipp, Wenship, Winchip, Winchap, Wenchap, Wensheep and many more.

Early Notables of the Winship family

Distinguished members of the family include

  • the Winship family of Kent

Winship Ranking

In the United States, the name Winship is the 13,130th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1


United States Winship migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Winship Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Edward Winship, who landed in Cambridge, Massachusetts in 1635 2
Winship Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Thomas Winship, aged 26, who arrived in North Carolina in 1774 2

Contemporary Notables of the name Winship (post 1700) +

  • North Winship (1885-1968), American politician, U.S. Ambassador to South Africa, 1949 3
  • N. R. Winship, American politician, Member of Georgia State House of Representatives from Bibb County, 1923-24 3
  • Lillian M. Winship, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for Connecticut State House of Representatives from Sherman, 1926, 1932 3
  • John T. Winship, American Democratic Party politician, Member of Michigan Democratic State Central Committee, 1907; Michigan Democratic State Chair, 1907; Candidate for Michigan State Senate 28th District, 1910 3
  • Christopher Winship, American Diker-Tishman Professor of sociology at Harvard University
  • Elizabeth Winship (1921-2011), American columnist who wrote the syndicated advice column "Ask Beth"
  • Jonathan Winship III (1780-1843), American 19th-century sailor and entrepreneur, eponym of Winship Point, King George Island, South Shetland Islands
  • George Parker Winship A. M. (1871-1952), American librarian and author, chief librarian of the John Carter Brown Library at Providence, R.I. from 1895 to 1915
  • Albert Edward Winship (1845-1933), pioneering American educator and educational journalist, father of George Parker Winship
  • Robert Winship (1834-1899), American businessman in Atlanta who built his fortune on the Winship Machine Company
  • ... (Another 3 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)


  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  2. 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)
  3. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 25) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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