Winona Laura Horowitz was born on October 29, 1971, in Winona, Minnesota,[4] to Cynthia Palmer (née Istas) and Michael D. Horowitz.[5] Her mother is an author, video producer, and editor, and her father is an author, editor, publisher, and antiquarian bookseller.[6][7][8] He also worked as an archivist for psychologist Timothy Leary (who was Ryder's godfather).[9] Her father is from a Ukrainian Jewish and Romanian Jewish family.[10][11] Growing up, she visited her paternal grandparents in Brooklyn for Passover every year. Her stage name derives from Mitch Ryder, a soul and rock singer[13] of whom her father was a fan.[14] Ryder's father is an atheist and her mother is a Buddhist.