Contents [hide]

Winsor History Etymology Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Motto Sources

Winsor History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

Etymology of Winsor

What does the name Winsor mean?

Winsor is one of the thousands of new names that the Norman Conquest brought to England in 1066. The Winsor family lived in Berkshire, at Windsor Castle. Interestingly, "The Stanwell family claim descent from Walter Fitz-Other (fl. 1087), who held that manor at the time of Domesday Book and was warder of Windsor Castle, whence he derived the name Windsor. His third son, Gerald de Windsor (fl. 1116), was constable of Pembroke Castle, and steward to Arnulf, Earl of Pembroke, in whose service he saw much fighting in Pembroke. He was sent to King Murtagh in Ireland to ask his daughter's hand for Arnulf, married Nest or Nesta, mistress of Henry I, and was father of William Fitzgerald, Maurice Fitzgerald (d. 1176), David (d. 1176), Bishop of St. David's, and Angharad, mother of Giraldus Cambrensis, the historian. It was from Gerald's eldest brother William that the Windsors of Stanwell claimed descent." 1

Early Origins of the Winsor family

The surname Winsor was first found in Berkshire, where they were descended from William FitzOtho, who was son of Adalbert the second Duke of Lombardy. This Walter was given Windsor Castle by William, Duke of Normandy. His son, William Fitzwalter assumed the surname of the Castle. This was not the only time a family would assume the name of the castle as in 1917, the present Royal family would do the same.

One of the first on records of the family was Sir William de Windsor, Baron Windsor (d. 1384), Deputy of Ireland, the son of Sir Alexander de Windsor of Grayrigg, Westmorland. "No connection has been proved between this family and that of the Windsors of Stanwell. " 1

Early History of the Winsor family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Winsor research. Another 128 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1178, 1360, 1381, 1445, 1467, 1513, 1541, 1543, 1624, 1627, 1687 and 1917 are included under the topic Early Winsor History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Winsor Spelling Variations

Multitudes of spelling variations are a hallmark of Anglo Norman names. Most of these names evolved in the 11th and 12th century, in the time after the Normans introduced their own Norman French language into a country where Old and Middle English had no spelling rules and the languages of the court were French and Latin. To make matters worse, medieval scribes spelled words according to sound, so names frequently appeared differently in the various documents in which they were recorded. The name was spelled Windsor, Winsor, Winzer, Winser, Wincer and others.

Early Notables of the Winsor family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was Sir James Windsor (c.1360), ancestor of the Earls of Plymouth, First Baron Andrew Windsor (1467-1543), a courtier and army commander, and Miles Windsore (1541-1624), a British scholar and poet.Thomas Windsor, seventh Baron Windsor of Stanwell and...
Another 43 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Winsor Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Winsor Ranking

In the United States, the name Winsor is the 11,925^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 2 However, in Newfoundland, Canada, the name Winsor is ranked the 118^th most popular surname with an estimated 303 people with that name. 3

Migration of the Winsor family to Ireland

Some of the Winsor family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 39 words (3 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Winsor migration to the United States +

Because of this political and religious unrest within English society, many people decided to immigrate to the colonies. Families left for Ireland, North America, and Australia in enormous numbers, traveling at high cost in extremely inhospitable conditions. The New World in particular was a desirable destination, but the long voyage caused many to arrive sick and starving. Those who made it, though, were welcomed by opportunities far greater than they had known at home in England. Many of these families went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Winsor or a variant listed above:

Winsor Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Joseph Winsor, who arrived in Lynn, Massachusetts in 1637 4
Robert Winsor, who arrived in Boston, Massachusetts in 1652 4
Thomas Winsor, who landed in Maryland in 1670 4
Jane Winsor, who arrived in Maryland in 1671 4
Alexander Winsor, who arrived in Maryland in 1678 4
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Winsor Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

C Winsor, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1851 4

Winsor migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Winsor Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Thomas Winsor, English convict who was convicted in Somerset, England for life, transported aboard the "Claudine" on 19th August 1829, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 5
Mr. William Winsor, (b. 1795), aged 43, English farm labourer from Sandhurst, Kent, England travelling from Gravesend aboard the ship "Maitland" arriving in Parramatta, New South Wales, Australia on 6th November 1838, he died in 1853 6
Mrs. Lydia Winsor, (nee Gladwish), (b. 1800), aged 38, English settler from Rolvenden, Kent, England travelling from Gravesend aboard the ship "Maitland" arriving in Parramatta, New South Wales, Australia on 6th November 1838, she died in 1856 7
Miss Sarah Winsor, (b. 1821), aged 17, English settler from Sandhurst, Kent, England travelling from Gravesend aboard the ship "Maitland" arriving in Parramatta, New South Wales, Australia on 6th November 1838, she died in quarantine 8
Mr. William Winsor, (b. 1824), aged 14, English settler from Sandhurst, Kent, England travelling from Gravesend aboard the ship "Maitland" arriving in Parramatta, New South Wales, Australia on 6th November 1838, he died in 1871 9
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Winsor (post 1700) +

Curtin Winsor Jr. (b. 1939), American diplomat, United States Ambassador to Costa Rica (1985-1987)
Mulford Winsor (1874-1956), American newspaperman and politician, Member of the Arizona State Senate from the Yuma County district (1916-1920)
William Winsor (1819-1904), American philanthropist, town treasurer, bank officer, farmer and co-founder of the Greenville Public Library
Robert Winsor (1858-1930), American financier, investment banker, and philanthropist
Frank E. Winsor (1870-1939), American civil engineer, Chief Engineer for the Boston Metropolitan District Water Supply Commission
Roy Winsor (1912-1987), American soap opera writer, creator and novelist from Chicago
Dr. Frederick Winsor (1829-1889), American Civil War surgeon, head of the Massachusetts State Hospital
Charles P. Winsor (1895-1951), American engineer turned bio statistician
Justin Winsor (1831-1897), American librarian and historian, eponym of the Justin Winsor Prize, awarded by the Library History Round Table of the American Library Association for the best library history essay
Kathleen Winsor (1919-2003), American author, best known for the romance novel Forever Amber
... (Another 12 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Winsor family +

SS Southern Cross

Mr. Angus Winsor (1892-1914), Newfoundlander from Brigus who was aboard the "SS Southern Cross" when it is suspected she sank between the 31st March 1914 and early April during the storm with a heavy load of pelts; no survivors were ever found

The Winsor 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: Je me fie en Dieu
Motto Translation: I trust in God.

Sources +

Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
The order of Common Surnames in 1955 in Newfoundland retrieved on 20th October 2021 (retrieved from Family Names of the Island of Newfoundland by E.R. Seary corrected edition ISBN 0-7735-1782-0)
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)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 18th February 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/claudine
Ship Voyages to New South Wales (Retrieved 11th July 2021). Retrieved from https://indexes.records.nsw.gov.au/ebook/list.aspx?Page=NRS5313/4_4780/Maitland_5 Nov 1838/4_478000079.jpg&No=305
Ship Voyages to New South Wales (Retrieved 11th July 2021). Retrieved from https://indexes.records.nsw.gov.au/ebook/list.aspx?Page=NRS5313/4_4780/Maitland_5 Nov 1838/4_478000079.jpg&No=306
Ship Voyages to New South Wales (Retrieved 11th July 2021). Retrieved from https://indexes.records.nsw.gov.au/ebook/list.aspx?Page=NRS5313/4_4780/Maitland_5 Nov 1838/4_478000079.jpg&No=307
Ship Voyages to New South Wales (Retrieved 11th July 2021). Retrieved from https://indexes.records.nsw.gov.au/ebook/list.aspx?Page=NRS5313/4_4780/Maitland_5 Nov 1838/4_478000079.jpg&No=308