Winnie History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Wales
Ireland

The old, proud name Welsh name Winnie is derived from the Welsh word "gwyn," which means "fair" or "white." It was a nickname for a person with light-colored hair or a pale complexion, or perhaps for someone who habitually wore white or pale-colored clothing.

Early Origins of the Winnie family

The surname Winnie was first found in Carnarvonshire (Welsh: Sir Gaernarfon), a former county in Northwest Wales, anciently part of the Kingdom of Gwynedd, and today divided between the unitary authorities of Gwynedd and Conwy, where this distinguished Welsh family claim lineal descent from Brochwel, Prince of Powys, who was Commander of the Welsh forces under Cadvan in the memorable battle near Chester fought with the Saxons under King Ethelred of Northumberland in the year 603.

Wini (d. 675?), was Bishop of London, an Englishman and probably a West-Saxon by birth. 1

"The parish of St. Wenn [in Cornwall] seems to have derived its name from one of the large sainted family that came from Wales into Cornwall and Devon, and from whom so many parishes in each county have obtained their respective denominations. There in the deanery of Pyder, one valor points out Ecclesia Sanctae Wennae, as the other gives us Wen alias Wenman, that is Wenn's place; mann still signifying place in Welsh, once signifying it therefore in Cornish, and this church at Wenn's place being actually dedicated to St. Wenne." 2

Later some of the family branched into other areas of England as the Shrewsbury Burgess Roll includes an entry for: Robert, of Shrewsbury, silkweaver, son of Hugh ap William Wynne of Stansty, co. Denbigh, yeoman, 1626.

Early History of the Winnie family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Winnie research. Another 108 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1520, 1544, 1553, 1556, 1559, 1580, 1588, 1602, 1611, 1622, 1626, 1627, 1628, 1649, 1650, 1665, 1671, 1673, 1674, 1675, 1676, 1677, 1687, 1688, 1689, 1695, 1713, 1714, 1715, 1718, 1719, 1723, 1737, 1742, 1749, 1755, 1756, 1789 and 1841 are included under the topic Early Winnie History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Winnie Spelling Variations

Although there are not an extremely large number Welsh surnames, there are an inordinately large number of spelling variations of those surnames. This variety of spellings began almost immediately after the acceptance of surnames within Welsh society. As time progressed, these old Brythonic names were eventually were recorded in English. This process was problematic in that many of the highly inflected sounds of the native language of Wales could not be properly captured in English. Some families, however, did decide to modify their own names to indicate a branch loyalty within the family, a religious adherence, or even a patriotic affiliation. The name Winnie has seen various spelling variations: Wynne, Wynn, Wyn, Win, Gwynne, Gwynn, Winne, Winn, Gwinn, Gwinne and many more.

Early Notables of the Winnie family

Prominent amongst the family during the late Middle Ages was John Wynn ap Maredudd (died 1559), Head of the House of Aberffraw, High Sheriff of Caernarvonshire for 1544, 1553 and 1556; Maurice Wynn or Morys Wynn ap John of Gwydir (c. 1520-1580), Welsh courtier and politician who held the Gwydir estate; Sir John Wynn, 1st Baronet (1553-1627), a Welsh baronet; Henry Wynn (c. 1602-1671), a Welsh politician; Sir Richard Wynn, 2nd Baronet (1588-1649), was an English courtier and politician; Sir John Wynn (d. 1626), 1st Baronet Wynn of Gwydir in 1611, and after this line became extinct; Robert Wynne (1622-1675)...
Another 100 words (7 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Winnie Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Winnie Ranking

In the United States, the name Winnie is the 17,920^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 3

Migration of the Winnie family to Ireland

Some of the Winnie family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 105 words (8 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Winnie family

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, many people from Wales joined the general migration to North America in search of land, work, and freedom. These immigrants greatly contributed to the rapid development of the new nations of Canada and the United States. They also added a rich and lasting cultural heritage to their newly adopted societies. Investigation of immigration and passenger lists has revealed a number of people bearing the name Winnie: Thomas Wynne and his wife Catherine settled in Plymouth in 1620; the same year as the "Mayflower"; Ed Winn settled in North Carolina in 1701.

Contemporary Notables of the name Winnie (post 1700) +

D. A. Winnie, American Republican politician, Candidate in primary for Michigan State Senate 16th District, 1966 4
Charles O. Winnie, American Republican politician, Candidate for New York State Senate 5th District, 1926; Candidate for U.S. Representative from New York 4th District, 1928 4
Winnie Madikizela- Mandela (1936-2018), South African activist and politician, First Lady of South Africa (1994-1996)
Winnie Crain, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from Kansas, 1952 (alternate), 1960
Winnie Townsend, American Democratic Party politician, Presidential Elector for Kentucky, 1996
Winnie Brinks, American politician, Member of the Michigan House of Representatives (2013-)
Winnie Maughan, Irish Film and Television Award nominated actress, known for her roles in Pavee Lackeen: The Traveller Girl (2005) and 3rd Irish Film and Television Awards (2005)
Winnie Holzman (b. 1954), American Emmy Award nominated dramatist, screenwriter and poet
Winnie Lightner (1899-1971), born Winifred Reeves, an American actress, best known for role as a gold-digger named Mabel, in Gold Diggers of Broadway (1929)
Winnie Shafer, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Missouri, 1940 5

Citations +

Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
Hutchins, Fortescue, The History of Cornwall, from the Earliest Records and Traditions to the Present Time. London: William Penaluna, 1824. Print
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 25) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 21) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html