Edwin
Edwin was the 398th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 798 babies. Its best year was 1919, when it ranked 52nd; the most babies were born in 1922 (3,827). Over the last ten years it has moved down 86 places. More babies were named Edwin in the 1920s than in any other decade.
Meaning wealthy friend · Old English
Say it ED-win /ˈɛdwɪn/
- Rank in 2025
- #398 boys, down 54 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 798boys
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 19223,827 babies
- Total since 1880
- 248,744babies recorded
What does the name Edwin mean?
Edwin is an Old English name, Ēadwine, from ēad, "wealth, prosperity", and wine, "friend". DMNES gives these elements and lists the 7th-century King Edwin of Northumbria, a saint. Bardsley notes it was rarer than Edward in the surname period. It was revived in the 19th century along with other Old English names.
ēad (Old English, “wealth, prosperity”)wine (Old English, “friend”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Related names: Eddie, Edwina, Otwin.
See also: English names, names that mean love.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Edwin', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources (ed. S. L. Uckelman), Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Edwin', DMNES, Durham University
- Charles W. Bardsley, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with Special American Instances (1901), s.v. 'Edwin', Henry Frowde (public domain; Internet Archive scan)
Nicknames for Edwin
The usual nicknames for Edwin are Ed, Eddie and Win. Some parents skip the long form: for every 100 boys named Edwin in the last five years, 33 were named Eddie, against 32 twenty years earlier.
| Nickname | Kind | Rank 2025 | Boys, 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ed · also for Edward, Edgar, Edmund | Traditional | — | 22 |
| Eddie · also for Edward, Eduardo, Edgar | Traditional | #861 | 1,431 |
| Win · also for Winston | Traditional | — | — |
Nicknames reviewed by our editors; counts are boys given the nickname as their legal first name. Nobody records how many Edwins go by each one.
Edwin popularity since 1880
A few girls are given the name too: 1,191 since 1894.
| Year | Rank (boys) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #398 | 798 |
| 2020 | #344 | 931 |
| 2010 | #209 | 1,703 |
| 2000 | #195 | 1,802 |
| 1990 | #170 | 1,817 |
| 1980 | #188 | 1,295 |
| 1970 | #167 | 1,725 |
| 1960 | #140 | 2,471 |
| 1950 | #117 | 2,486 |
| 1940 | #96 | 2,116 |
| 1930 | #66 | 2,972 |
| 1920 | #53 | 3,734 |
| 1910 | #71 | 536 |
| 1900 | #74 | 350 |
| 1890 | #63 | 323 |
| 1880 | #57 | 309 |
How popular is Edwin, counting every spelling?
Edwin is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #401 for boys in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #398 for Edwin on its own. Together these spellings went to 812 boys in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Edwin | 798 | #398 | 4,319 |
| Edwyn | 14 | #6,214 | 70 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Edwin?
798 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Edwin (0.22 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Edwin born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 11 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Edwin.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Edwin?
About 127,700 people born in the US named Edwin are alive today, with a median age of 42; half are between 23 and 66. That makes Edwin mostly worn by adults in their thirties to fifties. The wide spread shows a name popular in two different eras.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Edwin by state
How common Edwin was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Maryland (2.1×), Nebraska (2.1×), Minnesota (1.8×), Washington (1.6×), Oregon (1.5×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in Idaho, Oklahoma, Arkansas.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Edwin: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Edwin, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Edwin · Sibling names for Edwin
Questions about the name Edwin
What does Edwin mean?
Edwin means “wealthy friend” (Old English origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Edwin?
Edwin was the 398th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 798 babies. Its best year was 1919, when it ranked 52nd; the most babies were born in 1922 (3,827). Over the last ten years it has moved down 86 places. More babies were named Edwin in the 1920s than in any other decade.
Is Edwin a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name Edwin in the US.
Where is Edwin most popular?
In 2021–2025, Edwin was most common in Maryland (1.06 per 1,000 boys), followed by Nebraska and Minnesota.