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Extremely ugly name. I’m named this (my name is Winnie - but I’ve been going by Winifred by everyone I know) and hate my parents so much for it. Why would anyone give their Gen z the name ‘Winifred.’ It’s with the likes of Gertrude, Mildred, Olga, etc. Ridiculous. If you’re a parent stop trying to be unique - for the sake of your child give them something normal so they won’t get bullied.
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An old-fashioned ode to peace, Winifred is a cherished gem which soothes the soul and embodies the warmth of enduring friendship. A tranquil lullaby in the ears of a world seeking balance and harmony, a portrait of a kindred spirit, a friend whose hazy-blue presence brings the serenity of a quiet dawn, forever beckoning hearts to the shores of amity. She blossoms as a perennial flower, petals unfurling to reveal the ageless beauty of amicable connections. Every encounter with a gorgeous soul named Winifred is an invitation to partake in a world without violence and conflict... unfortunately, Winifred has been condemned to the edge of extinction. I see no problem with reviving it: a perpetual classic! Marvelous!
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Beautiful, as is the meaning “friend of peace”. The nickname Winnie is adorable! Vintage gold.
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Wenda and Wendi could be nicknames.
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I might be in the minority here from what it seems, but I really like Winifred. It has a vintage charm to it, power, and the (possible) meaning “friend of peace” is actually so wholesome and nice. I think Winifred is a very warm and welcoming name that even has the cute Win or Winnie. I love it as a middle name.
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My name is Winifred I absolutely hate it. People always refer me to ‘Winnie the Pooh’ from that useless children’s book which has made my school life bad. If I heard it for the first time I would think it sounds sluggish and frumpy. I’m sorry if I sound disrespectful but that’s my experience living with this name. I’m on the edge of applying to change my name. Sorry :(
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I highly dislike this name. Sounds bad.
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I love the nickname Win on a female. It sounds strong and simple, straightforward. Also Nif could be a stage name for her, in her creative pursuits. Winifred is overall very wearable and vintage cute.
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This is one of my favorite names. I love it. I just think it sounds nice. I'm not really a fan of the nickname Winnie though. I would definitely use Winifred.
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Personally, I dislike how the name has 'fred' in it. Does that mean I hate it? No. I like the meaning, and besides, Winnie or Wendy are nice nicknames, too. (It means blessed peacemaking)
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Saint Winifred was a girl in the 7th century. She was sick and couldn't go to mass, she was super upset but she knew it wasn't her fault. When her mom was at mass a burglar burst into her house. He cut off her head. A stream of water flowed all the way to the church where her parents were. They followed the stream and it led to Winifred. The priest prayed. God healed her and that was her first miracle. She is now a Saint and in heaven.
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Kinda ugly.
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Winnie Madikizela-Mandela (born Nomzamo Winifred Zanyiwe Madikizela; 26 September 1936 – 2 April 2018), also known as Winnie Mandela, was a South African anti-apartheid activist and politician, and the second wife of Nelson Mandela. She served as a Member of Parliament from 1994 to 2003, and from 2009 until her death, and was a deputy minister of arts and culture from 1994 to 1996. A member of the African National Congress (ANC) political party, she served on the ANC's National Executive Committee and headed its Women's League. Madikizela-Mandela was known to her supporters as the "Mother of the Nation".
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Love it! Winifred has that nice vintage charm to it. It would sound adorable on a little girl.
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Welsh names are so much better than Irish names.
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I love this name! It’s so cute, but also mature. I can see this on a person at any age. There are plenty of cute nicknames you could make out of this— Win, or even Freddie. I love it! I would love to use it on a child someday.
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Nobody names their child this anymore, which is very sad. A good nickname would be Winnie though!
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In 2018, 85 is the most common age for an American (U.S.) Winifred who is registered female with the Social Security Administration. It is the 1, 441st most common female first name for living U.S. citizens.
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Although I usually dislike nicknames I think that Wendy is a perfect short form for Winifred. Both are bright, delicate and clear.
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Dora Winifred "D.W." Read is the little sister to Arthur Read, the main character on the PBS children's show, Arthur. Everybody refers to her as 'D.W.' rather than her full name.
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Winifred is a lovely, delicate, dignified name. It is very feminine and I associate it with 'roaring fields' so a beautiful countryside. My rate is 8/10.
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More famous by association, but... Winifred C. Barnes, in Marvel Comics she is the mother of James Buchanan "Bucky" Barnes aka Winter Soldier.
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So dated, I think of a witch...
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There was an old lady in my village called Freda. And later on in life my husband's stepmum's Auntie was called Freda. She died a few years ago. It never occurred to me that Freda was a nickname or diminutive of Winifred. I associate Freda with a different generation, and I would struggle to get used to it as a youthful name again, purely from my knowing only old people bearing the name. Winifred however is open to interpretation, as I've never met a real life Winifred. And the only Winnie I know of is the bear and the girl from the Wonder Years TV sitcom. So I associate Winnie most definitely with youth. I'm not personally a fan of the nickname Fred for a girl, despite liking the character in Angel. She would've been a cute Winnie actually! I think she could've pulled it off!
I am undecided about Winifred. I don't know if it's quite ready for a revival... unlike Winnie which is just as cute as Tillie and Ellie and Penny.
And FYI:
Winnie from the Wonder Years formal name was actually Gwendolyn, not Winifred.
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I am undecided about Winifred. I don't know if it's quite ready for a revival... unlike Winnie which is just as cute as Tillie and Ellie and Penny.
And FYI:
Winnie from the Wonder Years formal name was actually Gwendolyn, not Winifred.
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It's nice and Winnie or Freddie are nice nicknames.
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The name Winifred was given to 156 girls born in the US in 2015.
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I've come to love Winifred's charm over the years - after all, Victorian names (particularly the feminine ones) have been coming back in style for some time now. It's classic and not overly feminine, so it won't look out of place in a professional setting. And the nickname "Win" is cool.
To the poster who said this was an old person name in the same category as Mildred... I actually knew two Mildred's growing up. One went by her full name, and the other went by "Mimi." For reference, I was born in '91.
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To the poster who said this was an old person name in the same category as Mildred... I actually knew two Mildred's growing up. One went by her full name, and the other went by "Mimi." For reference, I was born in '91.
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This sounds like a male name. I'd be more likely to name my son this than my daughter (though I really wouldn't name anybody this).
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What a pretty vintage name. I love the sound of it: "WIN-i-frid". You can't go wrong with the cute nickname Winnie. Winifred is a very nice name. ^-^
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My name is also Winifred, and I've grown to love it over the years. I was named for a great-aunt Winnie, but I dumped the nickname Winnie myself once I conveniently could. I always loved the meaning of the name "friend of peace" and just thought that if I had a name like this, I'd go ahead and own it, no apologies. People get used to it surprisingly fast; after all, I've gotten used to calling some of my friends Elizabeth or Marybeth or other names of 3 or more syllables. There are MANY unusual names out there, and this one is simply a bit old-fashioned.
I've got to say that it is really fun to meet the other Winifreds that I do from time to time... a bit like a club. I'm not sure I want to see this name get on the best seller list! A healthy respect is fine.
As a kid I was very keyed in to hearing my name when it would come up every once in a while... as in Mary Poppins (Mrs Banks) or Dobie Gillis's mother! Then I learned about the story of St Winifred, and honestly, that story has some pretty good drama (and is also featured by Ellis Peters in A Morbid Taste for Bones.)
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I've got to say that it is really fun to meet the other Winifreds that I do from time to time... a bit like a club. I'm not sure I want to see this name get on the best seller list! A healthy respect is fine.
As a kid I was very keyed in to hearing my name when it would come up every once in a while... as in Mary Poppins (Mrs Banks) or Dobie Gillis's mother! Then I learned about the story of St Winifred, and honestly, that story has some pretty good drama (and is also featured by Ellis Peters in A Morbid Taste for Bones.)
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It sounds rather boyish, true, but its vintage underused status, with the fairytale-like whimsical feel of the name, great meaning, adorable nicknames (Winnie/Fred), outweighs that any day! Reminds me of "Tuck Everlasting"- I loved that book as a child. Definitely one of my top choices for a baby girl.
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My name is Winifred and I get called Fred for short. My parents named me Winifred because of the character in Angel. It gets annoying because when people hear about you when someone calls you by the name Fred they expect you to be a boy. It's a bit like the name Jordan as you expect them to be a boy when it's a girl's name as well.
I think the name is unusual and I like the name.
I have never met any other Winifreds.
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I think the name is unusual and I like the name.
I have never met any other Winifreds.
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This name is borne by the character Winnie (Winifred) Foster in Tuck Everlasting.... Possibly why I like it so much.
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The name Winifred was given to 49 baby girls born in the US in 2012.
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Nothing about this name sounds pretty to me at all.
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Winifred Ball was the wife of Harvey Ball, the creator of the smiley face. :)
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Hard to believe this is a female name with the "fred" at the end. The first part doesn't seem right either, "wini"?... funny. It would make more sense if it were a surname, not a first name.
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If you can look past the "fred" in this name, it's a really cute name.
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I really kind find fault with the charming Winifred.
This name is going to come back into fashion soon in certain circles.
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This name is going to come back into fashion soon in certain circles.
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British novelist Winifred Holtby
Fictional character Winifred Forsyte in John Galsworthy's "The Forsyte Saga".
Actress Jacqueline Bisset was born Winifred Jacqueline Fraser-Bisset.
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Fictional character Winifred Forsyte in John Galsworthy's "The Forsyte Saga".
Actress Jacqueline Bisset was born Winifred Jacqueline Fraser-Bisset.
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Winifred is an appealing name. I like it.
It's sometimes traditionally spelled Winifride - and this avoids the "fred" ending for those who are put off by it.
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It's sometimes traditionally spelled Winifride - and this avoids the "fred" ending for those who are put off by it.
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I don't know if you guys remember, but there was an elephant lady called Winifred in The Jungle Book. I heard the name there first, then in Mary Poppins. I think it's a pretty good middle name, can be shortened to W.
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I like this name, but I think it's better as a second name than a first name. My grandma's name was Winifred, they called her Winnie, and it suited her well. :)
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There's just something unique about this name. It's just so different from most of the girls names that you hear and that are popular. It's very uncommon and unusual and the nickname Winnie is completely adorable and perfect if you want to make it more feminine sounding.
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Winifred is the heroine in the musical comedy, "Once Upon A Mattress", which among other memorable songs has a tune called "A Girl Named Fred".
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Was never overall very popular, but peaked in 1910 when it ranked in 158th position in the American top 1,000. However, it has not featured even in the top 1,000 in the United States since the end of the 1960s.
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Old becoming the new again? If there was a little girl today named Winifred, she may name her own daughter Janet or Brenda and then have a granddaughter called Tracy or Kelly. Her own mother may well be named Tracy or Kelly - but then again it may instead be Kate or Sarah, popular 1870s names before coming back into fashion in the 1970s. I don't think Winifred is due for a comeback any time soon, it's still in the same category as other present-day old lady names such as Mildred.
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I rather like this name very much. It is classic and has a strong sound to it. The nickname is so adorable too.
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It could also be a feminised form of the Anglo-Saxon male name 'Winfred' meaning Friend of Peace.
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I have loved this name ever since reading Tuck Everlasting. The nickname is adorable!
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I think the name Winifred is very nice. It's not very feminime, but it's a classic. Not many girls are named this, and people don't normally think of "Fred" when they hear this name.
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There's something nice about the name Winifred.
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This is my mother's name - she was named for her grandmother. It's not a very common name (the only other people I've heard with the name are: Winnie Mandela, Winnie from the T.V. show "The Wonder Years" and Winnie-the-Pooh!) My mother is occasionally called Winnie, but she grew up being called Una, which is the Irish for Winifred.
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There's also Winifred on Angel. She was called Fred for short. I rather like it. People don't realize that old is becoming the new again.
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My grandmother's name is Winifred, but she goes by Win, which I think is much better.
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I can't stop thinking about this name actually being a girl's name. Awful awful name, never in a million years would I name my daughter this. Poor child.
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This name just sounds witchy to me. But it could be that I saw Hocus Pocus, give or take a few.
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I thought Winifred was a boy's name until I watched Mary Poppins. I was little, okay?!
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This name was used by Natalie Babbit in her book "Tuck Everlasting." Winifred Foster was the heroine's name. Her nickname was Winnie.
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A nickname for this name can be Fred.
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There are alternate listings of the meaning of Winifred. Some list it as Teutonic, and meaning Peaceful Friend.
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This was the name of the lead witch in the Disney movie Hocus Pocus.
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