boy's name
Edwin
ED-win
- Origin English
- Gender Boy
- Syllables 2
- Letters 5
- Popularity Top 1000 (US)
- Births on record 256,531
the United States
#399
2025 births
Edwin is a boy's name from Old English meaning rich friend, borne by a Northumbrian king whose fortress may have given Edinburgh its name. It ranks 399th in the United States and 415th in England and Wales.
- Edwin is a name of English origin.
- Peaked in 1922, when 3,849 babies were given the name.
- It has been falling over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 4,155 babies in the United States is given this name.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Edwin over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1880s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 3,011 |
| 1890s | 3,522 |
| 1900s | 3,977 |
| 1910s | 23,815 |
| 1920s | 35,483 |
| 1930s | 24,140 |
| 1940s | 23,035 |
| 1950s | 26,310 |
| 1960s | 20,784 |
| 1970s | 13,457 |
| 1980s | 14,020 |
| 1990s | 17,587 |
| 2000s | 22,139 |
| 2010s | 12,214 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 5,250 |
What Edwin means
Edwin means rich friend, or blessed friend. The Old English joins a word for wealth or good fortune to one meaning a friend, so it describes a valuable companion.
Where Edwin comes from
Edwin is the Old English Eadwine — ead, wealth or good fortune, joined to wine, a friend. The same ead begins Edward, Edmund, Edgar and Edith, and it is one of the most productive elements in Anglo-Saxon naming. Edwin of Northumbria, king from 616 and converted by Paulinus, was killed in battle in 633 and venerated as a saint. His fortress at Din Eidyn is one proposed source for Edinburgh, though the place name is probably older than he is and the connection is disputed. The name survived the Conquest poorly and was revived by the Victorians.
Edwin in use
Edwin peaked in the United States in 1922, when 3,849 babies were registered, and is falling in our data. It now ranks 399th in the United States on 798 births, 415th in England and Wales on 98 and 1090th in France on 35, across 256,531 lifetime births in four of the seven markets we track. Its American and English positions sit within sixteen places of each other despite the difference in market size.
How popular is Edwin?
In 2025, Edwin was given to 798 babies in the United States, ranking #399 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Where Edwin is used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
Names that peaked alongside Edwin
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Edwin also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Edwin over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
2 nicknames for Edwin
Each one is a name in its own right — the figure underneath is how it is doing today, so you can see which short forms are rising and which have faded.
Edwin in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
- Finnish
- Edvin
Sibling names for Edwin
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Edwin — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Edwin
What does the name Edwin mean?
Rich friend — the Old English ead, wealth, joined to wine, a friend.
Is Edinburgh named after Edwin?
It is one proposal, from his fortress at Din Eidyn — but the place name is probably older than he is and the link is disputed.
Is Edwin related to Edward?
They share the ead element meaning wealth, but differ in the second half.
How popular is Edwin?
399th in the United States and 415th in England and Wales.
Is Edwin a girl's or a boy's name?
Edwin is given almost entirely to boys in birth records.
How many syllables are in Edwin?
Edwin has 2 syllables.
What are the nicknames for Edwin?
Edwin is usually shortened to Ed and Win.
Is Edwin a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Edwin currently ranks #399 in the United States. It has been falling over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.