Girl · English (from Welsh) · International
Winnie
WinnieSay it WIN-ee
- Meaning today
- Fair, blessed peace, friend of peace
- Original meaning
- "pet form of Winifred, Welsh Gwenfrewi; gwen, "white"" Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, s.v. Winifred
- Say it
- WIN-ee
- Other spellings
- Winny
Winnie
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Winnie meaning
Winnie is an international girl's name of English origin (from Welsh).
Meaning today
Fair, blessed peace, friend of peace
Original English (from Welsh) meaning
"pet form of Winifred, Welsh Gwenfrewi; gwen, "white""
Source: Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources (DMNES), s.v. Winifred · entry Winifred · See the entry · checked 27 Oct 2026
Winnie is the short form of Winifred. The Dictionary of Medieval Names traces Winifred to Welsh Gwenfrewi, the name of a seventh-century saint of north Wales, from gwen, "white", and a second part whose meaning is uncertain; the holy well at Holywell is linked with her. Name lists give "fair", "blessed" or "peace"; "fair" is close to gwen, while "friend of peace" belongs to a different Old English name, Winfrith. The bear behind Winnie-the-Pooh was named after the Canadian city of Winnipeg, and Winnie Madikizela-Mandela was born Nomzamo Winifred. It is said WIN-ee.
References: DMNES, Winifred · Oxford Learner's Dictionaries, Winifred (short form Winnie) · Online Etymology Dictionary, Winfred · Britannica, Winnie-the-Pooh · Britannica, Winnie Madikizela-Mandela
Famous namesakes
- Saint Winifred (Gwenfrewi), Welsh saint
- Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, South African politician
Popularity abroad
- #475 United States, girls 2025 (up 73 from 548 in 2024)
US Social Security Administration - #117 England and Wales, girls 2025
Office for National Statistics
Official birth registrations. India publishes no national name statistics.
Spellings
Winnie · Winny