Winckler History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Germany
Israel
Ireland

The distinguished surname Winckler emerged among the industrious people of Flanders, which was an important trading partner and political ally of Britain during the Middle Ages. As a result of the frequent commercial intercourse between the Flemish and English nations, many Flemish migrants settled in Britain. In early times, people were known by only a single name. However, as the population grew and people traveled further afield, it became increasingly necessary to assume an additional name to differentiate between bearers of the same personal name. The manner in which hereditary surnames arose is interesting. Local surnames are derived from where the original bearer lived, was born, or held land. Flemish surnames of this type frequently are prefixed by de la or de le, which mean of the or from the. The Winckler family originally lived in the settlement of Wynkel in Flanders. The surname Winckler belongs to the category of habitation names, which are derived from pre-existing names for towns, villages, parishes, or farmsteads, or other places. Alternatively the name could have been a nickname referring to "the winkle" as in a periwinkle.

Early Origins of the Winckler family

The surname Winckler was first found in Cheshire at Wincle, a chapelry, in the parish of Prestbury, union and hundred of Macclesfield. 1 The parish dates back to c. 1190 when it was known as Winchul and literally meant "hill of a man called Wineca or by a bend," from the Old English personal name or "wince" + "hill." 2

On of the first records of the name was "Winchul" c. 1200 in East Cheshire. 3 Later, we found John le Wenchel listed in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1271 in Buckinghamshire. 4

"The Wintles of Gloucester and its neighbourhood probably possess an ancestor in Christopher Windle, who was incumbent of the parish of Side in 1592 (A.). The Wintles were influential Gloucester citizens last century; at the same time there was a family of the name in Long Hope. This surname may hail originally from the north, Windle being the name of a Lancashire township and Windhill of a district in the West Riding." 5

Early History of the Winckler family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Winckler research. Another 41 words (3 lines of text) covering the years 1753, 1756, 1759, 1767, 1768, 1774 and 1814 are included under the topic Early Winckler History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Winckler Spelling Variations

Flemish surnames are characterized by a large number of spelling variations. One reason for this is that medieval English lacked definite spelling rules. The spellings of surnames were also influenced by the official court languages, which were French and Latin. Names were rarely spelled consistently in medieval times. Scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, rather than adhering to specific spelling rules, and people often had their names registered in several different forms throughout their lives. One of the greatest reasons for change is the linguistic uniqueness of the Flemish settlers in England, who spoke a language closely related to Dutch. The pronunciation and spelling of Flemish names were often altered to suit the tastes of English-speaking people. In many cases, the first, final, or middle syllables of surnames were eliminated. The name has been spelled Winkler, Winkle, Windle, Winkel, Wynkler, Wynkle and others.

Early Notables of the Winckler family

Prominent in the family at this time was William Winkel of Cheshire. Thomas Wintle (died 1814), was a Member of the University of Oxford having matriculated on 26 March, 1753, aged...
Another 29 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Winckler Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Winckler family to Ireland

Some of the Winckler family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Winckler migration to the United States +

Discovered in the immigration and passenger lists were a number of people bearing the name Winckler:

Winckler Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Eve Elizabeth Winckler, who settled in Charles Town, South Carolina in 1732
Andereas Winckler, who arrived in Georgia in 1732 6
Andrew Winckler, aged 23, who landed in South Carolina in 1732 6
Anna Susan Winckler, aged 23, who landed in South Carolina in 1732 6
Jacob Winckler, who landed in Georgia in 1732 6
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Winckler Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

John Stephan Winckler, who landed in New York, NY in 1826 6
Mr. Jacob Winckler, from Germany who arrived in Galveston, Texas aboard the ship "Heinrich" in 1844
Johann Winckler, aged 30, who landed in New York, NY in 1847 6
Johannes Winckler, aged 38, who arrived in America in 1853 6

Contemporary Notables of the name Winckler (post 1700) +

William Winckler (b. 1964), American actor and independent filmmaker
Phyllis Winckler, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Kansas, 2004; Chair of Lincoln County Democratic Party, 2011 7
Alex Winckler, British BAFTA Award nominated director and writer
Hugo Winckler (1863-1913), German archaeologist and historian
Gustav Frands Wilzeck Winckler (1925-1979), Danish singer, composer and music publisher

Citations +

Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
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)
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 26) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html