Winter
A surname from the season name “winter,” often originally given as a medieval nickname or birth-season name.
The #1,119 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 9,861 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Winter comes from the old Germanic word for the cold season, attested in Old English as winter and in closely related forms across other early Germanic languages. As a surname, it was probably first used either as a nickname for someone associated with the season or as a birth-name for a child born in winter. In some cases it may also have been reinforced by place-names such as Winterbourne or other winter-named localities.
History
Historical surname dictionaries note Winter as an early English personal name and surname, and Bardsley specifically places it among natural-season names used for children. Some Winter families may also descend from place-names like Winterbourne rather than directly from the season word itself. The name remains common in English-speaking countries and has also spread widely in Germanic forms.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Lower linked Winter to the same broad group as other calendar-name surnames such as Spring and Summer.
From the historical record
“3 conf. with Winston. WINTER (Eng.) This season-name has been used in pers. nomenclature from a very early period [O.E. winter = O.Fris. winter = O.Sax. O.H.Ger. wintar =Go\h. wintru-s] WINTERBON for Wintepborn(e, q.v. WINTERBORN(E 1 ( Eng. ) Dweller by a WINTERBOURN(E I Winter-Brook, i.e. a WINTERBURN(E J stream…”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)