Winona
Winona is a feminine given name, an Anglicized form of the Dakota descriptive term, Winúŋna, meaning "firstborn daughter."
Meaning & Origin of Winona
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Winona is a feminine given name, an Anglicized form of the Dakota descriptive term, Winúŋna, meaning "firstborn daughter."
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
The Story of Winona
Winona first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby girl name in 1880, with 6 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 2026, when 424 Winonas were born — ranking #681 that year. As of 2026, Winona ranks #681 for baby girls with 424 births, rising sharply (+182% over the past five years). In total, more than 13K Winonas have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1880s through the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Notable people named Winona
A small selection from Wikipedia. Tap "Read more" below to see the full list on Wikipedia.
- Winona Grace MacInnis (born 1905), Canadian politician
- Winona LaDuke (born 1959), Native American activist
- Winona Oak (born 1994), Swedish singer-songwriter
- Winona Ryder (born 1971), American actress
- Wynona Carr (1924–76), African-American gospel, R&B and rock and roll singer-songwriter
- Wynona Lipman (c. 1932–99), American politician and New Jersey state senator
- Wynonna Judd (born 1964), American country singer
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
Names that sound like Winona
Phonetically similar names — useful when Winona is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.
Frequently Asked Questions about Winona
What does the name Winona mean?
How popular is Winona in 2026?
When was Winona most popular?
In which U.S. states is Winona most popular?
Is Winona a unisex name?
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About the name Winona
Winona is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1880 and has accumulated 13K births in the dataset. Winona's peak popularity came in 2026 when it ranked #405. Use the chart and map above to compare Winona's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 2026 →
- Names of the 2020s →
- Names starting with "W" →
- Browse all girl names →
- Top names of 2026 →
Data sources
- Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
- Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
- Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
- Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
- Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .
Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.