Show ContentsWinthrop History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The ancestors of the Winthrop surname lived among the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture. The name comes from when they lived at Winthrop in the county of Lincolnshire. That place-name is derived from the Old English personal name Winn, meaning friend and porp, meaning settlement, and indicates that it was once owned by someone name Winn.

Early Origins of the Winthrop family

The surname Winthrop was first found in Lincolnshire where they held a family seat as Lords of the Manor, some say at the time of the Norman Conquest of England in the year 1066 A.D.

Early History of the Winthrop family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Winthrop research. Another 119 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1498, 1526, 1544, 1562, 1587, 1606, 1630, 1641, 1649, 1676, 1717 and 1825 are included under the topic Early Winthrop History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Winthrop Spelling Variations

Before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago, spelling variations of names were a common occurrence. Elements of Latin, French and other languages became incorporated into English through the Middle Ages, and name spellings changed even among the literate. The variations of the surname Winthrop include Winthorpe, Wynethorpe, Wynthorpe, Winethorpe, Wynethrop, Winthrop, Winthropp, Winethrop, Winthorp, Winthropp, Wynthropp, Wynethropp, Wynthrop, Winthrip, Winthrup, Withrupp, Withripp, Winthroppe, Wynthroppe and many more.

Early Notables of the Winthrop family

Notables of the family at this time include

  • John Winthrop (1587-1649), a wealthy English Puritan lawyer and one of the leading figures in the founding of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Born at Edwardston, Suffolk, he was "grandson of Adam Winthr...
  • His eldest son, John Winthrop the Younger (1606-1676), was Governor of Connecticut. He died on 5 April 1676 at Boston, where he was buried in the same tomb with his father
  • Wait Winthrop (1641-1717), was a colonial magistrate, military officer, and politician of New England. He was the son of John Winthrop the Younger and the grandson of John Winthrop

Ireland Migration of the Winthrop family to Ireland

Some of the Winthrop family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 40 words (3 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States Winthrop migration to the United States +

A great wave of immigration to the New World was the result of the enormous political and religious disarray that struck England at that time. Families left for the New World in extremely large numbers. The long journey was the end of many immigrants and many more arrived sick and starving. Still, those who made it were rewarded with an opportunity far greater than they had known at home in England. These emigrant families went on to make significant contributions to these emerging colonies in which they settled. Some of the first North American settlers carried this name or one of its variants:

Winthrop Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Arthur Winthrop, who arrived in New England in 1630 1
  • Mr. Samuel Winthrop who arrived in Salem, Massachusetts in 1630 aboard the ship "Arbella" as part of the Winthrop Fleet, he sailed with his father John Winthrop, governor of Antigua (1668 - 1671) 2
  • Mr. Stephen Winthrop who arrived in Salem, Massachusetts in 1630 aboard the ship "Arbella" as part of the Winthrop Fleet, he sailed with his father John Winthrop 2
  • Mr. Henry Winthrop, (1608 - 1630) who arrived in Salem, Massachusetts in 1630 aboard the ship "Talbot" as part of the Winthrop Fleet, he married Elizabeth Fones in 1629, he died the day after arriving when swimming across the river. 2
  • John Winthrop, (1587-88-1649), English Puritan lawyer and leading figure, who arrived in Boston, Massachusetts in 1630 as part of the Winthrop Fleet 1
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Winthrop Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Balthazar Winthrop, who landed in New York in 1755 1

New Zealand Winthrop 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:

Winthrop Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • Mr. Winthrop, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Hydaspes" arriving in Port Chalmers, Otago, New Zealand on 20th September 1872 3

Contemporary Notables of the name Winthrop (post 1700) +

  • Grenville Lindall Winthrop (1864-1943), American lawyer and art collector from New York City, direct descendant of John Winthrop
  • Robert Winthrop (1833-1892), American banker in New York City, co-owner of Drexel, Winthrop & Company
  • Margaret Tyndal Winthrop (1591-1647), née Tyndal, English-born Puritan, the wife of John Winthrop, the Elder
  • Deane Winthrop (1623-1704), English-born, sixth son of the English Puritan colonist John Winthrop
  • John Winthrop (1681-1747), American graduate from Harvard in 1700 who served for some time as a magistrate of Connecticut, Fellow of the Royal Society of London, son of Waitstill Winthrop
  • Waitstill "Wait" Winthrop (1641-1717), American colonial magistrate, military officer, and politician, son of John Winthrop the Younger
  • Elizabeth Winthrop (b. 1948), born Elizabeth Winthrop Alsop, an American author of more than sixty published books, primarily children's fiction, best known for novel, The Castle in the Attic
  • Fitz-John Winthrop (1637-1707), American politician, 24th Governor of the Colony of Connecticut (1698-1707), eldest son of John Winthrop the Younger
  • James Winthrop (1752-1821), American librarian and jurist, son of physicist John Winthrop
  • Thomas L. Winthrop (1760-1841), American politician, 13th Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts (1825-1834)
  • ... (Another 8 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)


The Winthrop 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: Hope wins a throne
Motto Translation: An anagram of John Winthrop.


  1. 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)
  2. Pilgrim Ship's of 1600's. Retrieved January 6th 2023 from https://www.packrat-pro.com/ships/shiplist.htm
  3. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html


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