Show ContentsWink History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Early Origins of the Wink family

The surname Wink was first found in Worcestershire where William de la Winche was listed in the Subsidy Rolls of 1275. Later, Stephen atte Wynke was listed in the Subsidy Rolls for Somerset in 1327 and later again, Thomas atte Wynche was found in the Subsidy Rolls for Worcestershire in 1332. Walter Winch was found in the Pipe Rolls for Cambridgeshire in 1184 and William Wynk in the Feet of Fines for Suffolk in 1312. In Sussex, records there show William le Wynch in the Subsidy Rolls for 1327. [1]

The name is well established in Yorkshire since early days. The Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 include: Ricardus Wynk; Alexander Wynk; and Robertus Wynk. [2]

Just over the northern border in Scotland, it may be a "shortened form of Wineca, diminutive of the common Old English personal name Wine. Winkston near Peebles is the tun of Wink or Wynk. William Wynk who held land in Aberdeen in 1281, may be the William Wynk who rendered homage [to King Edward I of England] at Perth, 1291. " [3]

"The lands of Winkston in the parish of Peebles gave name to possessors in 1262, when Alexander de Wynkistun was on the inquest for ascertaining the rights of burgesses in the moss of Walthamshope. In 1365 the lands of Winkston were in the hands of the Gledstanes." [3] The variant Winkworth hails from the north in Yorkshire, England or Scotland.

Early History of the Wink family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Wink research. Another 112 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1281, 1291, 1365, 1587, 1619, 1660 and 1668 are included under the topic Early Wink History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Wink Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Wing, Wink, Winks, Wynk, Wyng, Wyngke, Wingh and others.

Early Notables of the Wink family

Another 48 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Wink Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Wink Ranking

In the United States, the name Wink is the 14,439th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. [4]


United States Wink migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Wink Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Casper Wink, who settled in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1734
  • Stephen Wink, who landed in Maryland in 1768 [5]
Wink Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Ludwig Wink, aged 25, who arrived in Texas in 1846 aboard the ship "Andacia" [5]

New Zealand Wink migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Wink Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • George Wink, aged 37, a labourer, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Dorette" in 1874 [6]
  • Sarah Wink, aged 21, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Dorette" in 1874 [6]
  • Emily Wink, aged 7, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Dorette" in 1874 [6]
  • Alice Wink, aged 5, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Dorette" in 1874 [6]

Contemporary Notables of the name Wink (post 1700) +

  • Dean Wink, American Republican politician, Member of South Dakota State House of Representatives 29th District; Elected 2010 [7]
  • Howard Lamar Wink, American Pennsylvanian Planning Engineer, General Motors
  • Dr. Walter Wink (b. 1935), Professor emeritus at Auburn Theological Seminary in New York City
  • Chris Wink, co-founder of Blue Man Group


  1. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  2. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  3. 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)
  4. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  5. 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)
  6. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 5th November 2010). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  7. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 12) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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