Winston
2025 SSA
Below 5 births
About Winston
Long associated with the Churchill family and common in the West Indies, the distinguished Winston is back in style having been slightly neglected in the US after its brief flash of popularity during World War II. Familiar in England and Wales, recent years have seen in re-enter the Top 500 in the States.
An English place and surname, Winston derives from the Anglo-Saxon Wynnstan, meaning "joy stone", though "friend's town" is another interpretation. It features in George Orwell's famous novel 1984, borne by the protagonist, Winston Smith, whose name serves to make him both an "everyman" character and an individual.
It also has a presence in Pulp Fiction, is the name of a character in the best-selling book and film How Stella Got Her Groove Back, and was the middle name of both John Lennon and John Howard, long-serving Australian Prime Minister. More recently, it appeared the TV show, 13 Reasons Why while actress Billie Piper and actor Laurence Fox named their son Winston in 2008.
The name peaked in the US back in 1941 when it reached #234 on the charts. Parents then were seeking to honor the British Wartime Prime Minister, however, today, this association may be the reason why some wouldn't use the name. On one hand, some parents may feel it's too attached to one figure, making it hard to wear or live up to; for others, the link to the politician is a negative or at least controversial one.
Nevertheless, Winston was chosen for nearly 800 American boys in a recent year, while in the UK, it was chosen for around 50, and it does fit in with recent trends towards strong vintage names, like Edward, Edmund, and Alfred. Nicknames Winnie and Win might soften it slightly.
Winston is also given to girls.
Pronounced WIN-stun.
As of October 2026, Winston ranked #382 in US births in 2025 SSA, peaked at #234 in 1941, Nameberry popularity #235.
Popularity & trends
Data table
| Year | US rank · boys | Births · boys | US rank · girls | Births · girls |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | #538 | 518 | — | 0 |
| 2015 | #523 | 551 | — | 0 |
| 2016 | #472 | 649 | — | 0 |
| 2017 | #405 | 782 | — | 0 |
| 2018 | #404 | 790 | — | 0 |
| 2019 | #372 | 860 | — | 0 |
| 2020 | #408 | 725 | — | 0 |
| 2021 | #409 | 762 | — | 0 |
| 2022 | #420 | 761 | — | 0 |
| 2023 | #398 | 798 | — | 0 |
| 2024 | #405 | 797 | — | 0 |
| 2025 | #382 | 830 | — | 0 |
World rankings
Similar names
These 20 names were selected by our users looking for other names like Winston.
Winston on lists
Famous Winstons
- Winston Leonard SpencerBoy
Churchill, British prime minister
- Winston Frederick JusticeBoy
American football player
- Winston GuyBoy
American football player
- Winston Raymond PetersBoy
Deputy Prime Minister of New Zealand
- Winston Wiremu ReidBoy
New Zealand footballer
- Winston Aubrey Aladar MarshallBoy
British musician of band Mumford & Sons
- Winston Leonardo AbreuBoy
Dominican baseball player
- Winston VenableBoy
American CFL player; son of baseball player Max Venable
- Winston James Fox (b. 2008)Boy
son of actors Laurence Fox and Billie Piper
- Winston Elba (b. 2014)Boy
son of actors Idris Elba & Naiyana Garth
- Winston Marc Butler (b. 2014)Boy
son of YouTubers CaseyLavere & HeyKayli
- John Winston LennonBoy
English musician of The Beatles
- Winston Roy Followill (b. 2019)Boy
son of Lily Aldridge and Caleb Followill
Winston in pop culture
- Dallas "Dally" WinstonBoy
fictional character in the novel "The Outisders" written by S. E. Hinton and was portrayed by Matt Dillon in the movie adaptation of the same name
- Winston SmithBoy
main character in George Orwell's "1984"
- Winston ZeddemoreBoy
character in the Ghostbusters films
- Winston BishopBoy
character on TV's "New Girl"
- WinstonBoy
dog on TV's "Hannibal"
- Winston PayneBoy
character from the "Ace Attorney" video game series
- Winston StoneBoy
character on TV series "The Stones"
- WinstonBoy
character in "The Maze Runner" trilogy
- Winston WolfBoy
character in the movie "Pulp Fiction"
- Winston NewquayBoy
character on TV's "Wiseguy"
- Winston "Widget" MurrayBoy
character in Erin Morgenstern's "The Night Circus"
- WinstonBoy
character in Disney's "Oliver & Company"
- WinstonBoy
character in webcomic "Unfamiliar"
- WinstonBoy
brand of cigarette
- WinstonBoy
Salem, North Carolina, USA
- WinstonBoy
playable tank character in Blizzard's "Overwatch"
- WinstonBoy
SuperBookUSA mascot dog, appeared in a Twitter Pic with Supermodel Elle Johnson on March 21, 2019
- WinstonBoy
character in the film series "John Wick"
- Winston PrattBoy
character in the 'Renegades' trilogy