We grew up watching Kevin crush on Winnie on The Wonder Years. Is it any wonder that some of us are starting to cautiously consider the formal version as a daughter’s name?
Thanks to Lola for suggesting Winifred as Name of the Day.
First, a stunning revelation. (To me, anyhow.) Winnie Cooper’s given name was Gwendolyn! ABC’s The Wonder Years ran from 1988 to 1993. Presumably they cleared that up somewhere in the series, but I’ve long been thinking she was one of the few famous Winifreds.
The name would have been an unusual choice for the character. The show was set in the late 1960s into the early 70s when Winifred was on her way out. She left the rankings entirely after 1965. (In the 1950s, Gwendolyn hovered just outside the Top 100 – a far more plausible pick.)
But Winifred has history aplenty. The most famous bearer of the name was the seventh century saint. Her story is fantastic, but there is at least a kernel of truth to the tale.
Born around 650, the beautiful Winifred decided to devote her life to God. Apparently she caught the eye of Caradoc, a local nobleman who couldn’t have cared less about her otherworldly intentions. Caradoc sent flowers and sang under her window. When Winifred was not swayed, Caradoc turned from romance to violence and lopped off his beloved’s head. As her blood spilled, a spring formed. Her uncle Beuno – a future saint himself – restored her to life and she became a nun as planned. Caradoc met an untimely death, possibly by melting.
Or so the story goes.
For centuries, the mighty and the downtrodden alike have visited Saint Winifred’s Well in Holywell, claiming that the waters possess healing properties.
In life, Winifred was probably known as Gwenfrewi, Gwenfrewy or Gwenffrewi. The gwen element – meaning fair – is common in Welsh names. The second part – frewi, or peace – is also uncontested. It is difficult to say if the name was common; by the later Middle Ages, she’s been replaced by other Gwen- names.
Guinevra is the Latin version and Jenifry is a Cornish adaptation. We arrived at Winifred via Winefride, which, in turn, was modeled on the masculine Old English name Winfrith, Winfrid or Winfred. Winfred comes from wine - friend – and frith – peace. It was in steady use until the Norman Conquest.
There’s a bit of a gap here. Winfred and company fell out of use nearly five centuries before Winifred caught on. Perhaps it is simply because the saint stayed in the public eye. Her bones were transfered to Shrewsbury Abbey in 1138; Henry VIII destroyed the shrine in 1540. It is easy to imagine that English-speaking parents would have recognized her name.
The saint also appears in literature:
- Her well is mentioned in the fourteenth century Sir Gawain and the Green Knight;
- Weaver-turned-novelist Thomas Deloney included a version of her story in 1584′s The Gentle Craft;
- Forty years later, playwright William Rowely adopted Deloney’s work for the stage;
- Poet Gerard Manley Hopkins studied at St. Beuno’s College in Wales, so it is little surprise that he started a drama titled St. Winefred’s Well in the 1800s.
Winifred is thoroughly medieval – clunky, even. But she could wear well on a modern girl. If Beatrix and Frances can sound fresh again, why not Winnie?
I know three people named Winnie, and at least one of them claims the full name “Winnifred”. It’s actually a very popular name for the children of parents from Hong Kong/China because it includes the word “win” in it. In traditional Chinese culture, is believed to be lucky to give your child a name that includes a “success” word in it, hence the popularity of names like Winnie, Kelvin, and Vincent in Chinese immigrant circles (at least here in Canada).
I find the name quite pretty, although it does remind me of Winnie the Pooh.
I adore Winifred. I must admit, assocation won me over, I didn’t like Winifred 12 years ago but then my Uncle Skip married one and the rest is history.
I love her stern look but pretty sound. Neat to know about why she seems so popular in Chinese American circles (yep, here too, Charlotte Vera!) Also Koreans seem to use names like Winifred for the same reason. Either way, I find her absolutely beautiful and she remains in my top 4. The adorable Winnie is just an added bonus, the option of Freda, is another enticement for me!
For the record, It never crossed my mind that Winnie of “Wonder Years” was anything but Winnie, she who has cousins born in the late 50′s early 60′s named things like Ricky (b), Billie (g) and Tammy (g). Just that, on their birth certificates. So sad!
So Winifred’s just awesome in my book!
I love Winnie. I would love to BE a Winifred. I just don’t see this name on a child. Winifred doesn’t exactly have that young vibe to it does it?
Still, its on my list.
Oh, Winifred has a very fresh sound to me. I was fostering a kitten whom I named this, so I just can’t see anything stern or musty about her; rather, she’s whimsical and young, without being flighty. Winnie is adorable.
I can’t help but sing out, “I’m in love with a girl named Fred!” when I hear Winifred
I love Winifred, too.
But I’m confused, Abby. Could you elaborate a bit on the Gwenfrewi vs. Winfride origins? I see that both “frewi” and “frede” mean friend, but are the first parts derived from disparate places? Is it a case of one name morphing into another, as was so often the case?
I love that Guinevere and Jennifer and Winifred are all related. Who woulda’ thunk it? (I knew, but I’m obsessed with these things).
Thanks for this entry.
Yay for Winnie’s warm reception. There is the Pooh business – I’d like to think it can be overlooked, though.
Elisabeth, I can’t trace the link as neatly as I would like, actually. It’s pretty clear that Gwenfrewi became Guinevra in Latin from early days – thanks to the church, of course.
Apparently, when English speakers heard Gwenfrewi they assumed it was a feminine version of Winfred. Etymologically speaking, I suppose they’re false cognates, though, because they’re not related. Winfred is Old English.
But here’s what I don’t know – how was Gwenfrewi pronounced in the 700s? And why was she close enough to Winfred/Winfrith that English-speakers heard the name and came up with Winefride? Emmy Jo … paging Emmy Jo …
I spent some time squinting at Old English pronunciation guides, but I’m out of my depths on this one.
Along the way, I did pick up this interesting fact – the most common medieval Welsh name using the element gwen was apparently Gwenllian, which I kind of love.
I had NO idea about the “win” bit, Charlotte! Thank you for that – now that you mention it, I know a Vincent probably named for that reason.
I like Winifred, but adore Winnie. I think I’d more likely use Guinevere or Gwendolen to get it, but I don’t think Winifred gets nearly enough love. As Lola mentioned, Freda is a great nickname, and the name as a whole has a pleasant sound.
Thanks, Abby. The history of this name is fascinating to me, especially since it’s slightly murky.
Just saw the Oscar’s post on nameberry! Congratulations!!! Great idea to devote the post to the boys alone, I think. They can get short shrift with the variety of leading ladies to choose from. Great job!!!
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I want to like this name…I just don’t. I adore Wynn for a boy, adore. It’s rich in historical family significance and sentimental value for me. I think nothing would be sweeter than calling a little boy Wynnie (the pooh!). Any chance we could ever have Wynn (for a boy) as one of the names of the day?
I just had to add to the discussion because I have a 14-month-old daughter named Winifred and she goes by Winnie (although her dad likes to call her “Freddie”). We were —> <— this close to naming her Iris, but two nights before she was born, we mistakenly ran across Winifred in a baby name book and we looked up at each other knowing we both loved that name! There's no real family tie; we just love the name. I do, however, also LOVE the name Gwendolyn ("Winnie"). My little girl gets a lot of flack for her name at only 14-months, though. The teachers at her daycare call her "Pooh-Pooh" and I don't really care for that. =( Of course, it doesn't help that she's super juicy (read: big) and her little cheeks stick out to forever… so, she does kind of look like a little "Pooh Bear!"
LOL! My 18 m.o. is a chunk, too. But so was her big brother, and now he’s a bean pole.
Winifred is a great name, and I love the nn Winnie – and Freddie, too!
Winnifred can be young… Winnie is good for a child and as a young adult she can go by Winn… a truly winn winn situation lol
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I too wanted to add to the discussion since my 11 month old is Winifred Charlotte. Winnie is her paternal paternal great grandmother and Charlotte is her maternal maternal great grandmother.
We love family names and I especially love whimsical older names (If my husband was on board she would have been Fern(ie)!) Thank you for sharing the origin of the names. It is going to be a fabulous bedtime story (although we’ll have to change some details). We always get such wonderful comments about her name since she is truly and joyful baby with a happy name. I think it was meant to be!
It was fun to stumble on this discussion! I’ve been living with this name for some time and have come to really like it–especially for its meaning. When I was little, our dictionary simply said that it was Teutonic, and meant “friend of peace” and I loved that. I dropped the Winnie nickname as soon as I left high school and found a whole new crowd of people who didn’t already have that implanted in their brains, and I’ve been using Winifred ever since. But I love the story of St Winifred, and the Welsh meanings…fair/blessed reconciliation or peace–which is much the same thing even though the names came around from entirely different places and only met in the middle, so to speak. (For the record I love Winnie the Pooh, but his name was Edward Bear, and I feel there is no true name association there.)
St Winifred also shows up in the Brother Cadfael series by Ellis Peters–the first book in the series, A Morbid Taste for Bones.