NameCensus.

UK surname

Winkler

One who lives in or hails from a corner or angular area, derived from the German word "winkel."

In the 1881 census there were 41 people recorded with the Winkler surname, ranking it #27,870 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 413, ranked #11,609, up from #27,870 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, St Pancras and Edinburgh. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Oldham, Northumberland and Hertsmere.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Winkler is 430 in 2014. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 907.3%.

1881 census count

41

Ranked #27,870

Modern count

413

2016, ranked #11,609

Peak year

2014

430 bearers

Map years

5

1901 to 2016

Key insights

  • Winkler had 41 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #27,870 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 413 in 2016, ranked #11,609.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 119 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Diverse Educated Urban Singles.

Winkler surname distribution map

The map shows where the Winkler surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.

Distribution map

Winkler surname density by area, 2016 modern.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

Back to top

Winkler over time

The table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.

Year Period Count Rank
1851 historical 7 #32,070
1861 historical 21 #31,242
1881 historical 41 #27,870
1891 historical 70 #28,073
1901 historical 116 #20,933
1911 historical 119 #20,535
1997 modern 262 #14,814
1998 modern 287 #14,289
1999 modern 292 #14,204
2000 modern 297 #14,008
2001 modern 293 #13,933
2002 modern 304 #13,887
2003 modern 318 #13,291
2004 modern 337 #12,818
2005 modern 348 #12,410
2006 modern 349 #12,473
2007 modern 360 #12,335
2008 modern 371 #12,155
2009 modern 383 #12,125
2010 modern 410 #11,754
2011 modern 421 #11,379
2012 modern 413 #11,451
2013 modern 416 #11,575
2014 modern 430 #11,323
2015 modern 420 #11,458
2016 modern 413 #11,609

Geography

Back to top

Where Winklers are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, St Pancras, Edinburgh and Manchester. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Oldham, Northumberland, Hertsmere, Barnet and Harrow. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Some modern areas include a three-digit suffix, such as Leeds 110. The suffix is a small-area code, so it stays in the table while the prose uses the plain place name.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 London parishes London 1
2 London parishes London 3
3 St Pancras London (North Districts)
4 Edinburgh Edinburgh
5 Manchester Lancashire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Oldham 029 Oldham
2 Northumberland 007 Northumberland
3 Hertsmere 005 Hertsmere
4 Barnet 031 Barnet
5 Harrow 002 Harrow

Forenames

Back to top

First names often paired with Winkler

These lists show first names that appear often with the Winkler surname in historical and recent records.

Modern profile

Back to top

Neighbourhood profile for Winkler

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Winkler, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.

These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.

The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.

UK neighbourhood type

UK Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Multicultural and Educated Urbanites

Group

Diverse Educated Urban Singles

Nationally, the Winkler surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Diverse Educated Urban Singles, within Multicultural and Educated Urbanites. This does not mean every Winkler household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

This Group includes many never-married individuals not living with dependent children. Many were born in EU countries and are now aged between 25-44. This Group is characterised by its ethnic group diversity, although those identifying as Asian are not well represented. Affiliation with the Christian religion amongst residents is low. Reported disability rates are low. Neighbourhoods include some central locations in London and other major cities. Private renting is the norm, and there is some overcrowding. Many individuals are educated to degree level, and full-time employment is common, particularly in managerial and professional occupations.

Wider pattern

Established populations comprising ethnic minorities together with persons born outside the UK predominate in this Supergroup. Residents present diverse personal characteristics and circumstances: while generally well-educated and practising skilled occupations, some residents live in overcrowded rental sector housing. English may not be the main language used by people in this Group. Although the typical adult resident is middle aged, single person households are common and marriage rates are low by national standards. This Supergroup predominates in Inner London, with smaller enclaves in many other densely populated metropolitan areas.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs

Group

Professional Periphery

Within London, Winkler is most associated with areas classed as Professional Periphery, part of Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

Read profile summary

Group profile

These neighbourhoods predominantly house residents aged 45+, with many aged 85+. Most employed residents work in senior roles, and relatively few work in unskilled jobs. Terraced housing is comparatively rare, but communal living is more common. More residents identify as of Indian ethnicity and more affiliate with non-Christian religions. Disability levels are below the Supergroup average.

Wider London pattern

The age distribution of these neighbourhoods is skewed towards the middle-aged and old, although few residents live alone or in communal establishments and numbers of dependent children are around average. Owner occupation is the norm, as is residence in detached or semi-detached houses. Residential densities are low and many households have spare rooms. Most residents were born in the UK and, aside from some identifying as members of Chinese or Indian ethnicities, identify as White. Mixed ethnicity households are rare. Incidence of married couples is higher than average and few individuals have never been married. A large proportion of individuals still in employment work in administrative and secretarial occupations, or in the construction industry. Few residents are students, and many households own more than one car.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Winkler is most concentrated in decile 10 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the healthier end of the index.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

10
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Winkler falls in decile 5 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname near the middle of the scale.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

5
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Winkler is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 30-40 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

6
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - Other

This describes the area pattern most associated with Winkler, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Winkler

The surname Winkler originates from Germany and can be traced back to the Middle Ages. It is a occupational name derived from the Middle High German word "winker," meaning "corner" or "angle." This likely referred to someone who lived or worked on a corner or at an angle in a town or village.

In the 13th century, the name appeared in various records and manuscripts, often spelled as "Winckeler" or "Winkelere." One of the earliest recorded instances was in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae Regiae, a collection of Saxon imperial documents from the 12th to 15th centuries.

The name Winkler was also found in the Hanseatic League records from the 14th century, indicating that individuals with this surname were involved in the trading networks of the Hanseatic cities in Northern Europe.

One notable bearer of the name was Johann Winkler, a German astronomer born in 1642 in Wormsdorf, Saxony. He made significant contributions to the field of astronomy and published several works, including "Phaenomena Cometarum" (1668) and "Astronomiae Pars" (1703).

Another prominent figure was Johann Joseph Winkler, a German chemist born in 1670 in Pfronten, Bavaria. He is credited with the discovery of the element germanium in 1886, which he initially called "germanium" after his homeland.

In the 16th century, the name Winkler was also found in various records from the Rhineland region of Germany, such as the city of Cologne. One example is Matthias Winkler, a merchant born in Cologne in 1525, whose name appears in trade records from that period.

The name Winkler can also be traced to place names in Germany, such as Winkel, a town in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate, and Winkelhaid, a municipality in Bavaria. These place names likely contributed to the formation of the surname in those respective regions.

Other notable individuals with the surname Winkler include August Winkler (1808-1878), a German landscape painter; Clemens Winkler (1838-1904), a German chemist known for his work on rare earth elements; and Karl Winkler (1801-1869), a German painter and lithographer.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

Back to top

Winkler families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Winkler surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.

Top counties

Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Middlesex leads with 13 Winklers recorded in 1881 and an index of 3.51x.

County Total Index
Middlesex 13 3.51x
Lancashire 10 2.28x
Warwickshire 4 4.28x
Surrey 2 1.11x
Worcestershire 2 4.13x
Angus 1 2.91x
Glamorgan 1 1.55x
Hertfordshire 1 3.92x
Kent 1 0.79x
Lanarkshire 1 0.83x
Nottinghamshire 1 2.00x
Yorkshire 1 0.27x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Pendleton In Salford in Lancashire leads with 5 Winklers recorded in 1881 and an index of 95.42x.

Place Total Index
Pendleton In Salford 5 95.42x
Aston 4 15.55x
Shoreditch London 4 24.91x
St George Bloomsbury 4 187.79x
Liverpool 3 11.24x
Great Malvern 2 198.02x
Lambeth 2 6.19x
Mile End Old Town 2 34.19x
Cardiff St Mary 1 28.17x
Chorlton On Medlock 1 14.33x
Dundee 1 7.81x
East Barnet 1 196.08x
Glasgow 1 4.70x
Huddersfield 1 18.69x
Lewisham 1 14.84x
Nottingham St Mary 1 7.75x
Paddington London 1 7.34x
St George In East 1 39.68x
St Marylebone London 1 5.06x
West Derby 1 7.78x

Top female names

These are the female first names most often recorded with the Winkler surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
Maria 2
Amelia 1
Bertha 1
Eliza 1
Elizabeth 1
Emily 1
Emlie 1
Jane 1
Marie 1
Nanchen 1
Sarah 1
Sophie 1

Top male names

These are the male first names most often recorded with the Winkler surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
Charles 3
Edward 2
Arthur 1
Emile 1
Ernest 1
Francis 1
Fred 1
George 1
Herbert 1
Hermann 1
John 1
Joseph 1
Julius 1
Paul 1
Peter 1
Rudolph 1
Solomon 1
William 1

Top occupations

Occupational titles are kept as recorded and later transcribed, so related jobs, spelling variants and mistakes stay separate. Scholar was the census term for a child in education. That means the other rows often tell you more about adult work in Winkler households.

FAQ

Winkler surname: questions and answers

How common was the Winkler surname in 1881?

In 1881, 41 people were recorded with the Winkler surname. That placed it at #27,870 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Winkler surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 413 in 2016. That gives Winkler a modern rank of #11,609.

What does the Winkler surname mean?

One who lives in or hails from a corner or angular area, derived from the German word "winkel."

What does the Winkler map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Winkler bearers relative to the surrounding population.

What records is this surname page based on?

The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.