Find out how popular the last name Baldwin is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Baldwin.

Baldwin, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Baldwin surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Baldwin in America

Baldwin is the 395th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Baldwin surname appeared 80,742 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 27 people would have the surname Baldwin.

We can also compare 2010 data for Baldwin to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Baldwin

The surname Baldwin is of Anglo-Saxon origin, deriving from the Old English words "bald" meaning bold or brave, and "wine" meaning friend or companion. It is believed to have originated in England during the early medieval period.

The name first appeared in written records in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it was spelled "Balduinus". This suggests that the name was already well-established in England by the time of the Norman Conquest in 1066.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Baldwin was Baldwine de Brembre, a wealthy merchant and politician who served as Lord Mayor of London in 1384. Another notable early Baldwin was William Baldwin, an English author and playwright who lived from around 1515 to 1563.

In the 13th century, the surname Baldwin was also found in the form "Baldewin" in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire, indicating its continued presence in the region.

During the Middle Ages, the name Baldwin was often associated with places names such as Baldwin's Park in Buckinghamshire and Baldwin's Hill in West Sussex, further solidifying its connection to the English landscape.

Throughout history, several notable figures have borne the surname Baldwin, including:

1. Stanley Baldwin (1867-1947), British Conservative politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1923 to 1924, and again from 1924 to 1929.

2. James Baldwin (1924-1987), an influential American novelist, playwright, and social critic known for works such as "Go Tell It on the Mountain" and "Notes of a Native Son".

3. Matthias William Baldwin (1795-1866), an American inventor and founder of the Baldwin Locomotive Works, which became one of the largest and most successful locomotive manufacturers in the world.

4. Alec Baldwin (born 1958), an American actor best known for films such as "The Departed", "The Cooler", and his portrayal of former President Donald Trump on "Saturday Night Live".

5. Roger Nash Baldwin (1884-1981), an American civil rights leader and co-founder of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Baldwin

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Baldwin.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Baldwin was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Baldwin has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Baldwin was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Baldwin, please contact us.

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!