Fun Facts About the Name Win
- 195 babies named Win: U.S. records list 195 babies given the name Win from 1880 through 2025. Even 16 girls received the name Win - about 1 girl for every 11 boys.
What Does the Name Win Mean?
Win is an English given name that normally works as a short form of a longer name, so its meaning depends on the full name behind it. The most common source is the Old English element wine, "friend," which forms the second half of two-part names such as Ēadwine (Edwin) and Godwine (Godwin). Old English also used Wine on its own as a man's name, where the sense is simply "friend." In Edwin, the literal compound is "wealth" or "prosperity" plus "friend," and the customary gloss is "rich friend" or "prosperous friend."
Win often shortens Winifred, the English form of Welsh Gwenfrewi. Its first element is gwen, "fair, white, blessed"; the second element is uncertain, and the familiar translation "blessed peace" is a traditional interpretation rather than a settled etymology. Win also shortens Winona, a Dakota (Sioux) name usually translated "firstborn daughter," and Winston, an English surname-derived given name. Separately, Win can be a word name taken from the English verb win, which goes back to Old English winnan, "to strive, fight," and later came to mean "to be victorious."
Win Name History & Origins
The oldest related form is the Old English personal name Wine, "friend," borne by a bishop of Winchester consecrated about 660. The same element appears throughout Old English naming in compounds such as Ēadwine, Godwine, and Bealdwine (Baldwin, "bold friend"). Most of these compound names fell out of use after the Norman Conquest, though a few, including Edwin and Godwin, remained known, and Edwin was revived in the 19th century.
Winifred reached England from Wales through the cult of Saint Gwenfrewi (Winifred), a 7th-century Welsh nun associated with Holywell in Flintshire. Her shrine made the name known beyond Wales, and the English spelling Winifred developed from the Welsh form. The pet forms Winnie and Win kept the name in use, and Win was recorded as a woman's name and nickname in the 19th and early 20th centuries.
Winston, originally an English surname taken from place names, began to be used as a given name in the 19th century and is also shortened to Win. As a name in its own right, Win appears mainly from the 19th century onward in English-speaking countries, used for both men and women, usually as the clipped form of a longer name. The similar-looking Welsh name Wyn is a different name, from gwyn, "fair, blessed." In Burmese, Win appears as an element in personal names, such as that of the politician Win Myint; that usage belongs to a separate naming tradition and is not connected to the English name.
How Popular is the Name Win?
Win has historically been an exceptionally rare given name in the United States, remaining well outside the national mainstream. It saw its highest recorded annual births in 2022. Its best rank was #2,793 in 1956.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | #17,457 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2014 | #16,408 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2012 | #19,393 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #8,874 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2024 | #9,796 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 2023 | #10,751 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2022 | #5,846 | 16 | 0.0009% |
| 2021 | #6,321 | 14 | 0.0008% |
| 2019 | #12,060 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2018 | #12,068 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2017 | #8,794 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2016 | #10,681 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2015 | #13,944 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2011 | #12,215 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2009 | #12,411 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1999 | #11,555 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1995 | #8,832 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1990 | #9,451 | 5 | 0.0002% |
| 1989 | #9,191 | 5 | 0.0002% |
| 1984 | #7,317 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1964 | #4,582 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1961 | #4,058 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1958 | #3,025 | 9 | 0.0004% |
| 1957 | #3,546 | 7 | 0.0003% |
| 1956 | #2,793 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 1954 | #3,818 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1953 | #3,790 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1951 | #4,244 | 5 | 0.0003% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
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How the Name Win Shapes Your Personality and Life?
To express itself, you must follow the divine law of love. You have great persistence and hate to give up. You are a good mixer, charming, magnetic and intuitive. The spirituality is the key to success. You are intuitive and might be interested in the arts, drama or science.
You are always looking for a chance to do your own thing, to be your own person, and to have things done your own way.
✦ Win's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Win's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.