Winona
Winona is a girls' name of Native American origin meaning “firstborn daughter.” It ranked #627 in the United States in 2025. Winona is a Dakota Sioux name meaning firstborn daughter, carrying the special status and responsibility that comes…
how do you pronounce Winona?
wih-NOH-nah
Hear it spoken aloud with our AI pronunciation tool.
what does Winona mean?
The name Winona means “firstborn daughter.” It comes from the Native American language tradition.
Winona is a Dakota Sioux name meaning firstborn daughter, carrying the special status and responsibility that comes with being the eldest. The city of Winona, Minnesota, was named for a legendary Dakota woman. In Dakota culture, the firstborn daughter holds an honored position as a role model and caretaker for younger siblings.
where does the name Winona come from?
Wiktionary and Wikipedia agree Winona is an Anglicized form of the Dakota word Winúŋna, meaning firstborn daughter. Wiktionary adds two caveats worth keeping: the word wasn't originally used as a personal name by the Dakota before English speakers adopted it that way, and a separate, more prosaic reading connects its first element to the word for woman.
the history of Winona
Its life as an English-language given name is a later adoption of a Dakota descriptive term, per both sources; nothing here traces a fuller timeline beyond that.
how popular is this name?
| Year | Rank |
|---|---|
| 2025 | #627 |
| 2024 | #734 |
| 2023 | #880 |
| 2022 | #977 |
Source: SSA National Baby Names Dataset
what are the nicknames and variants of Winona?
Nicknames
Variants around the world
who are famous people named Winona?
- Winona Ryder (acclaimed American actress)
- Winona LaDuke (Ojibwe environmentalist and activist)
what names are similar to Winona?
what names go well with Winona?
Sibling names that share Winona's rhythm and register without echoing it too closely.
Last reviewed April 30, 2026 · Curated by HushName editorial
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