WINDLE
Windle is an English surname of Anglo-Saxon origin, documented within the British Isles, particularly in England. The name is borne by individuals who historically belonged to Christian communities.
The etymology of Windle is traced to the Old English word windel, meaning a winding path or road. It is therefore believed to have originally served as a topographic designation for people residing near or upon a serpentine thoroughfare. In some instances, the surname was employed as a nickname for individuals noted for wandering or taking indirect routes, thus retaining an association with the idea of winding or meandering pathways.
An alternative interpretation links Windle to the northern English locational surnames that arise from place names. In Lancashire there existed a locality known as Windle, first recorded as Windhull in the Pipe Rolls for that county. In Yorkshire a town called Windhill is recorded in the 1208 Fine Court Rolls of Yorkshire. Both place names are derived from an Old English pre-7th century word wind, meaning wind, coupled with hyll, meaning hill; the combined sense being a hill exposed to fierce gusts.
Historical documentation of individuals bearing the surname (or its variants) includes Walter del Wyndhel in the Subsidy Rolls of Suffolk and Richard atte Wyndhull in the Subsidy Rolls of Essex, both dated 1327. Johannes de Wyndhill is recorded in the 1379 Poll Tax Returns of Yorkshire, while Christopher Windle of Yorkshire appears in the Oxford University Register of 1577. The earliest known spelling, Alan de Windhull, is recorded in the 1201 Pipe Rolls of Lancashire during the reign of King John, who reigned from 1199 to 1216.
The Windle family was granted a coat of arms which features a green cross bearing five silver martlets. The crest associated with the family consists of a cabossed stag's head. These heraldic symbols reflect the family's historical identity within the region.
Typical given names associated with the Windle surname
Male
- Andrew
- Christopher
- David
- James
- John
- Mark
- Michael
- Paul
- Peter
- Robert
Female
- Catherine
- Deborah
- Elizabeth
- Helen
- Jacqueline
- Janice
- Margaret
- Mary
- Nicola
- Rebecca
- Sarah
- Susan
Similar and related surnames
Related and similar names are generated algorithmically based on the spelling, and may not necessarily share an etymology.
How to communicate the surname Windle in...
Braille
⠺⠊⠝⠙⠇⠑
Morse
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Semaphore
There are approximately 2,900 people named Windle in the UK. That makes it roughly the 3,074th most common surname in Britain. Around 45 in a million people in Britain are named Windle.
Origin: English
Region of origin: British Isles
Country of origin: England
Religion of origin: Christian
Language of origin: English
Famous people named Windle
- Billy Windle - Football player (1920 to 2011)
- Alan Windle - Material scientist
- Bertram Windle - Anatomist, administrator, archaeologist, scientist, educationalist and writer (1858 to 1929)
Names and descriptions courtesy of Wikipedia, and may contain errors. This is not intended to be an exhaustive list of every famous person with this name.