Van Winkle
A Dutch-style surname meaning “from the Winkle” or “from a place called Winkle,” later fixed in American spelling as Van Winkle.
The #4,541 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 39,527 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Van Winkle is a Dutch-type surname built from van, meaning “from” or “of,” plus Winkle, a place-name element. The second part is usually taken to point to a locality called Winkle or Winkele, ultimately from a Germanic word for a corner, nook, or small bend. In surname form, the name would originally have identified someone who came from such a place.
History
The name is most familiar in the United States, where Dutch family names were brought into colonial New Netherland and later spread beyond the original Dutch communities. The spelling Van Winkle is the conventional modern form, though records also show compact spellings such as Vanwinkle and related forms like Vanwinkler. The surname is strongly associated in popular culture with Washington Irving’s “Rip Van Winkle,” which helped keep it recognizable far beyond Dutch-American circles.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The fictional Rip Van Winkle became so famous that the surname is widely recognized even by people with no Dutch ancestry.
From the historical record
“any equestrian feats. Mr. Gulliver has ceased from his travels, and is at home with us.* Old Grimes is not dead : he lives in New York. Vanwinkle and Van WINKLER have only removed to Philadelphia. Mr. Iagoe lives in Hamilton, C.W. Mr. Shandy (not Tristram) lives in Quebec. Our Mr. Lammermoore would seem to be a…”
— Suffolk Surnames (3rd ed.)