Contents [hide]

Winn History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Ireland United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Suggested Reading Citations

Winn History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Wales
Ireland

The old, proud name Welsh name Winn 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 Winn family

The surname Winn 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 Winn family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Winn 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 Winn History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Winn Spelling Variations

Although there are comparatively few Welsh surnames, they have a great many spelling variations. Variations of Welsh names began almost immediately after their acceptance within Welsh society. In the Middle Ages, it was up to priests and the few other people that recorded names in official documents to decide how to spell the names that they heard. Variations that occurred because of improper recording increased dramatically as the names were later transliterated into English. The Brythonic Celtic language of Wales, known by natives as Cymraeg, featured many highly inflected sounds that could not be properly captured by the English language. Spelling variations were, however, also carried out according to an individual's design: a branch loyalty within the family, a religious adherence, or even patriotic affiliations were all indicated by the particular variation of one's name. The spelling variations of the name Winn have included Wynne, Wynn, Wyn, Win, Gwynne, Gwynn, Winne, Winn, Gwinn, Gwinne and many more.

Early Notables of the Winn 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 Winn Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Winn Ranking

In the United States, the name Winn is the 1,641^st most popular surname with an estimated 19,896 people with that name. 3

Migration of the Winn family to Ireland

Some of the Winn 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.

Winn migration to the United States +

The Welsh began to emigrate to North America in the late 1800s and early 1900s in search of land, work, and freedom. Those that arrived helped shape the industry, commerce, and the cultural heritage of both Canada and the United States. The records regarding immigration and passenger show a number of people bearing the name Winn:

Winn Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Edward Winn, who landed in Woburn, Massachusetts in 1643 4
Ann Winn, who landed in Virginia in 1650 4
Anne Winn, who arrived in Virginia in 1652 4
Elizabeth Winn, who arrived in Virginia in 1656 4
Michael Winn, who arrived in Maryland in 1662 4
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Winn Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Ed Winn, who settled in North Carolina in 1701
George Winn, who landed in Mississippi in 1799 4

Winn Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Mathew Winn, aged 32, who landed in New York in 1812 4
John Winn, aged 52, who landed in New York, NY in 1847 4
Nanny Winn, aged 20, who landed in New York in 1854 4

Winn migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Winn Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

William Winn, who settled in Fort Cumberland, Nova Scotia, in 1774
David Winn, aged 17, who landed in Fort Cumberland, Nova Scotia in 1774
William Winn, aged 27, who landed in Fort Cumberland, Nova Scotia in 1774

Winn Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Ebenezer Winn, who arrived in Canada in 1828
Jacob Winn, who arrived in Canada in 1828
John Winn, aged 31, a labourer, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1833 aboard the brig "Dorcas Savage" from Belfast, Ireland
Patrick Winn, aged 29, a labourer, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1833 aboard the brig "Dorcas Savage" from Belfast, Ireland
Thomas Winn, aged 21, a labourer, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1833 aboard the brig "Dorcas Savage" from Belfast, Ireland
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Winn migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Winn Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Robert Winn, English convict from Warwick, who was transported aboard the "Albion" on May 17, 1823, settling in Van Diemen's Land, Australia 5
James Winn, English convict from Middlesex, who was transported aboard the "Albion" on September 21, 1826, settling in New South Wales, Australia 6
Mr. James Winn, (b. 1811), aged 21 who was convicted in Somerset, England for life for stealing, transported aboard the "Circassian" on 4th November 1832, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 7
Mr. George Winn who was convicted in Gloucester, Gloucestershire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Bengal Merchant" on 4th August 1836, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 8
Mr. William Winn, English convict who was convicted in London, England for 10 years, transported aboard the "Egyptian" on 5th April 1839, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 9
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Winn 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:

Winn Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mr. Alfred J. Winn, (b. 1855), aged 19, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Peter Denny" arriving in Port Chalmers, Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 26th July 1874 10
Mr. William Winn, (b. 1854), aged 21, Cornish farm labourer departing on 2nd February 1875 aboard the ship "Wennington" going to Bluff or Otago, New Zealand arriving in port on 15th March 1875 11
Mr. Nicholas Winn, (b. 1855), aged 22, Cornish farm labourer departing on 31st July 1877 aboard the ship "Otaki" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 4th November 1877 12
Jessie Winn, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "British Empire" in 1880 13

Contemporary Notables of the name Winn (post 1700) +

Jane Frances Winn (1855-1927), American newspaperwoman, often called the "dean of newspaper women", one of the influential American women journalists of the early 20th century
Colonel Martin J. "Matt" Winn (1861-1949), American thoroughbred horse racing president of Churchill Downs racetrack
Major General Albert Maver Winn (1810-1883), American military officer and politician
Mississippi Winn (1897-2011), American supercentenarian
Richard Winn (1750-1818), American merchant, surveyor, and politician from South Carolina
Edward Lawrence Winn Jr. (b. 1919), American politician, U.S. Republican politician to the United States House of Representatives from Kansas
Dwight Randolph Winn (b. 1974), retired Major League Baseball outfielder
Peter Winn, American professor of history at Tufts University
James Winn (b. 1959), American former Major League Baseball pitcher
Kitty Michelle Winn (b. 1944), American actress
... (Another 12 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

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/
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)
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2016, October 27) Albion voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1823 with 200 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/albion/1823
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2016, October 27) Albion voyage to New South Wales, Australia in 1826 with 192 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/albion/1826
Convict Records of Australia. Retrieved 8th February 2021 from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/circassian
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 7th October 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/bengal-merchant
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 26th January 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/egyptian
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 2018, April 30). Emigrants to other ports, 1872 - 84 [PDF]. Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/new_zealand_assisted.pdf
Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 2018, April 30). Emigrants to Auckland 1872-80 [PDF]. Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/new_zealand_assisted.pdf
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 12th November 2011). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html