The English surname Winterbottom is derived from the Middle English terms winter meaning “winter” and bottom meaning “valley,” hence a topographic name, especially in the hilly regions of Lancashire and Yorkshire, for someone whose principal dwelling was in a valley inhabited only in winter (the summer being spent in temporary shelters on the upland pasture). Early recordings include Ann Winterbottom, who was christened at Manchester Cathedral on March 8th 1603, and Richard Winterbotham of Hartshead, Ashton under Lyne in 1618. Thomas Masterman Winterbottom M.D. (1765 - 1859) was a famous Victorian explorer.