Winona is a Dakota name that means "firstborn daughter", traditionally given to the eldest girl in a family; it is also the name of a city in Minnesota. The actress Winona Ryder, born in nearby Winona, is its most famous bearer, and her role in Stranger Things has put the name in front of a new generation. Winona was rare in 2000, returned to the US top 1000 in 2022 and climbed to number 627 in 2025, its highest rank in decades.