Darwyn
From the Old English "deor" meaning "dear" and "wynn" meaning "joy".
Name Census estimates that about 516 living Americans carry the first name Darwyn. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Darwyn today is around 52 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Darwyn births was 1935 (67 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Darwyn. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
516
~ 1 in 664,253 Americans
Peak year
1935
67 babies that year
Average age
52
years old
2021 SSA rank
#9,949
Tracked since 1923
Popularity
Darwyn: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Darwyn from the 1920s through to the 2020s, spanning 11 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1930s, with 142 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1930s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Darwyn by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Darwyn during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Darwyns live
The SSA's state-level files cover 6 states and territories. California, Texas, Pennsylvania recorded the most babies named Darwyn, while Wisconsin, New York, Minnesota recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 7 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Darwyn
The name Darwyn is believed to have originated from the Old English language, likely during the Anglo-Saxon period in Britain, which spanned from the 5th to the 11th century AD. It is derived from the elements "deor," meaning "deer," and "wine," meaning "friend." Therefore, the name can be interpreted to mean "friend of the deer" or "deer friend."
The name Darwyn was relatively rare in early historical records, but a few notable individuals bore this name. One of the earliest recorded instances was Darwyn of Mercia, a minor nobleman who lived in the 8th century during the reign of King Offa of Mercia. Records indicate that Darwyn held lands in what is now Warwickshire and played a role in local governance.
Another early bearer of the name was Darwyn the Scribe, a monk who lived in the 10th century at the monastery in Jarrow, Northumbria. He is known for his meticulous copying of religious texts and his skilled calligraphy.
In the 12th century, a knight named Darwyn de Hastings fought in the Crusades and is mentioned in the chronicles of the time for his bravery in battle. He accompanied King Richard I (the Lionheart) on the Third Crusade to the Holy Land.
During the Tudor period in England, a man named Darwyn Griffith (c. 1520-1590) was a prominent lawyer and served as a justice of the peace in Shropshire. He was known for his fair and impartial handling of legal matters.
In the 17th century, Darwyn Llewelyn (1602-1678) was a Welsh landowner and poet who wrote extensively in both Welsh and English. His works celebrated the beauty of the Welsh countryside and its rich cultural heritage.
While the name Darwyn has remained relatively uncommon throughout history, these are just a few examples of individuals who bore this name and left their mark in various fields and time periods.
People
Darwyn + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Darwyn as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with D
Other first names starting with D with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Darwyn: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Darwyn?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 516 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Darwyn going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 664,253 US residents.
Is Darwyn a common name?
We classify Darwyn as "Very Rare". It ranks above 84.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 736 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Darwyn most popular?
The single biggest year for Darwyn was 1935, when 67 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Darwyn is about 52 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Darwyn a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Darwyn in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.