This most interesting surname has two possible sources. It may be of Gaelic origin, as a shortened form of the Scots-Gaelic surname "Macgillewinnin", the Anglicized form of a Gaelic name composed of the prefix "Mac", son of; "gill", servant; and the personal name "Winnin", which is the Welsh form of the Irish "Finnen", and also the name of a Welsh saint. Hence, the name means "the son of the servant of (St.) Winnin". The Welsh form of the saint's name is preserved in the placename Kilwinning, and the Irish form in Kilfinan. In the reign of Malcolm 1V (1153 - 1165), Gillecrist mac Gillewinin witnessed a charter by Uchtred, son of Fergus of Galloway, and circa 1250 Nigellus Macgilwynin was witness to a charter by Duncan, Earl of Carrick. However, in some instances the name may be of Anglo-Saxon origin, deriving from the Olde English pre 7th Century personal name "Wine, Wina", coming from "wine", meaning friend, and the patronymic suffix "-ing", son; hence "Wine, Wina's son". Osketel Wine is recorded in 1199 in the Pipe Rolls of Suffolk. Robert Wynning, son of John (see below) was admitted burgess freeman of Glasgow in 1607. Ralph Wenning married Hannah Cope on January 14th 1660, at St. Leonard's, Eastcheap, London, and William Winning married Elizabeth Lundie, on July 31st 1748, in Edinburgh. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of John Wynning, which was dated 1591, in "Burgesses and Guild Brethren of Glasgow", 1573 - 1750, during the reign of King James V1 of Great Britain, 1567 - 1625. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.

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