What is Winona Ryder's real last name?

Winona Ryder’s real last name is Horowitz. Her full birth name is Winona Laura Horowitz, and she was born on October 29, 1971, in Winona County, Minnesota. She adopted “Ryder” as her professional surname before becoming a major film star.

The name Winona came from Winona County, near the rural Minnesota community where she was born. The surname Ryder was reportedly chosen after her father’s Mitch Ryder album happened to be playing when her name was being finalized for film credits. She made her film debut in Lucas in 1986 and rose to prominence through Beetlejuice, Heathers and Edward Scissorhands.

Horowitz is her family name, not a character name or a temporary stage identity. A common source of confusion is that “Winona Ryder” became so strongly associated with her public career that many people assume Ryder is her birth surname. She later earned Oscar nominations for The Age of Innocence and Little Women and gained a new generation of fans through Stranger Things.