Contents [hide]

Winters History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Motto Citations

Winters History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Germany

The ancient German region of the Rhineland, gave birth to the family name of Winters. At first, people used only a single name, but as the population grew and people began to travel, they began to find it necessary to take on an additional name to differentiate themselves. Fairly general principles guided the development of hereditary surnames in the Rhineland. Among the most common forms of surname found in the Rhineland are those that are derived from nicknames. Nickname surnames were derived from an eke-name, or added name. They usually reflected the physical characteristics or attributes of the first person that used the name. The surname Winters was a name for a person of a sad or melancholy nature. The surname Winters originally derived from the Old German word "wintar" or "wintra" which literally referred to a "wet season."

Early Origins of the Winters family

The surname Winters was first found in the Rhineland, especially the provinces of Westphalia and the Palatinate, where the name emerged in mediaeval times as one of the notable families of the region. From the 13th century the surname was identified with the great social and economic evolution which made this territory a landmark contributor to the development of the nation.

Early History of the Winters family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Winters research. Another 219 words (16 lines of text) covering the years 1653, 1681, 1768, 1770, 1793, 1799 and 1869 are included under the topic Early Winters History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Winters Spelling Variations

Many cultural groups lived in the German states in medieval times. Each had its own dialect and traditions, and unique variations of popular names. Low German, which is similar to contemporary Dutch, was spoken in Westphalia. German names are characterized by additions such as regional suffixes and phrases that tell something about the origin or background of its original bearer. Further contributing to the variation in German names was the fact that there were no spelling rules in medieval times: scribes recorded names according to their sound. The recorded spelling variations of Winters include Winter, Winters, Winterer, Wintere, Winterle and many more.

Early Notables of the Winters family

Another 30 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Winters Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Winters Ranking

In the United States, the name Winters is the 667^th most popular surname with an estimated 44,766 people with that name. 1 However, in Netherlands, the name Winters is ranked the 556^th most popular surname with an estimated 3,174 people with that name. 2

Winters migration to the United States +

Between the 17th and 20th centuries, hundreds of thousands of Europeans came to North America, and many Rhinelanders were among them. They had many various reasons for making the choice: to escape poverty and persecution, for adventure, and for the opportunity to own their own land. Ellis Island, one of the main American immigration centers, saw many settlers as they moved on to the states of Pennsylvania, Ohio, Texas, Illinois, California, and New York. In Canada, they found homes in Ontario, and on the great plains of the Midwestern provinces. The Winters were among of the early German families that came to North America:

Winters Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

James Winters, who landed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1773 3

Winters Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Mary Winters, who arrived in New York, NY in 1811 3
Edward Winters, who arrived in New York, NY in 1811 3
Bernard Winters, who landed in Maryland in 1813 3
Claus Winters, who landed in North America in 1832-1849 3
Robert Winters, who landed in New York in 1838 3
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Winters migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Winters Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Mr. Henry Winters U.E. (b. 1741) who settled in Osnabruck [South Stormont], Dundas and Glengarry, Ontario c. 1786 he served in Walter Butler's Company 4
Mr. Peter Winters U.E. who settled in Osnabruck [South Stormont], Dundas and Glengarry, Ontario c. 1786 4
Mr. John Winters U.E. from New York, USA who settled in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia c. 1790 4
Mr. Jacob Winters U.E. (b. 1766) born in Hoosick, County of Albany, USA who settled in Osnabruck [South Stormont], Dundas and Glengarry, Ontario c. 1796 he served in Butlers Rangers and the Kings Royal Regiment of New York, married having 5 children 4

Winters Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

John Winters, who arrived in Canada in 1834
Adam Winters, who arrived in Canada in 1841

Winters migration to Australia +

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

Winters Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

William Winters, English convict from Cambridge, who was transported aboard the "Albion" on May 17, 1823, settling in Van Diemen's Land, Australia 5
Mr. Samuel Winters, British Convict who was convicted in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Eden" on 12th March 1842, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Island) 6
Joseph Winters, English convict from Hertford, Hertfordshire, who was transported aboard the "Anson" on September 23, 1843, settling in Van Diemen's Land, Australia 7
Miss Hannah Winters who was convicted in Liverpool, Lancashire, England for 10 years, transported aboard the "Aurora" on 22nd April 1851, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 8

Winters 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:

Winters Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Solomon Winters, aged 23, a farm labourer, who arrived in Hawkes Bay aboard the ship "Bebington" in 1874
Amelia Winters, aged 22, who arrived in Hawkes Bay aboard the ship "Bebington" in 1874

Contemporary Notables of the name Winters (post 1700) +

Jonathan Winters (1925-2013), American Primetime Emmy Award winning, Golden Globe nominated comedian, best known for The Jonathan Winters Show (1967) and his role in It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World (1963)
Jackie Winters (1937-2019), American Republican politician, Minority Leader of the Oregon Senate (2017-2019)
David Winters (1939-2019), English-born, American actor, dancer, choreographer, producer, film distributor, director and screenwriter who had two Emmy Award nominations, a Peabody Award, a Christopher Award
Brendan Winters (b. 1983), American former basketball player
Dean Winters (b. 1964), American television actor, best known for his role as Ryan O'Reily on the HBO prison drama Oz
Frederick Winters, American Olympic sliver medalist for weightlifting at the 1904 Summer Games
Yvor Winters (1900-1968), American literary critic and poet
Brian Winters (b. 1952), former player and head coach in the NBA
Major Richard D Winters (1918-2011), United States Army officer, who commanded Company "E" of the 2nd Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division during the Second World War. Winters was portrayed in the 2001 HBO miniseries Band of Brothers by British actor Damian Lewis 9
Frank Winters (b. 1964), American former NFL center football player
... (Another 6 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Winters family +

Prince of Wales colliery

Mr. Aaron Winters (b. 1864), Welsh coal miner who was working at the Prince of Wales Colliery in Abercarn, Wales on the 11th September 1878 when there was a coal mine explosion; he died 10

The Winters Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Majorum servari virtute
Motto Translation: The greater the power of the observed

Citations +

"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
"Most Common Last Names in Netherlands." Forebears, https://forebears.io/netherlands/surnames
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)
Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
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
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 15th December 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/eden
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2015, January 8) Anson voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1843 with 499 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/anson/1843
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 20th August 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/aurora
Richard Winters. (Retrieved 2010, September 27) Richard Winters. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Winters
Entombed in flood and flame (retrieved 3rd August 2021). Retrieved from https://web.archive.org/web/20120603025705/http://www.crosskeys.me.uk/history/prince.htm