2000
#124,872
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 127
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Medwin
An Anglo-Saxon surname referring to a meadow winner or landowner.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 139 Americans carry the last name Medwin. That puts it at #141,309 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,465,859 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Medwin surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Medwin with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
139
1 in 2,465,859
Census rank
#141,309
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
121
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 121 bearers of the surname Medwin in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 141309th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Medwin, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.5%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Medwin
The surname MEDWIN originated in England during the Anglo-Saxon period. It is derived from the Old English words "mæd" and "win," which together mean "meadow friend" or "dweller of the meadows." This suggests that the name likely originated as a descriptive nickname for someone who lived near a meadow or open field.
The MEDWIN surname is first recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive survey of land ownership and taxation commissioned by William the Conqueror after the Norman Conquest of England. This early documentation indicates that the name was established in various parts of England by the late 11th century.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the MEDWIN surname was Robert de Medwin, who was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire in 1195. These rolls were financial records maintained by the English Exchequer, which provides evidence of the name's existence in the late 12th century.
During the Middle Ages, variations in spelling were common, and the MEDWIN surname appeared in various forms, such as Medewine, Medwine, and Medwyn. These variations reflect the evolution of the English language and the inconsistencies in record-keeping at the time.
In the 16th century, a notable figure with the MEDWIN surname was John Medwin (c. 1520-1590), an English landowner and member of Parliament who represented Oxfordshire in 1572.
Another prominent individual with this surname was Sir Philip Medwin (1637-1718), a British naval officer and politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Southampton from 1695 to 1702.
The MEDWIN surname also has connections to place names. For instance, Medwynmere, a village in Shropshire, derived its name from the Old English words "mæd" and "wyn," which are related to the origins of the MEDWIN surname.
Other notable individuals with the MEDWIN surname include:
1. Thomas Medwin (1788-1869), an English author and biographer who wrote extensively about Lord Byron.
2. Charles Medwin (1799-1883), an English author and playwright known for his memoir on Shelley.
3. William Medwin (1840-1916), a British businessman and philanthropist who founded the Medwin Trust for charitable purposes.
4. Alfred Medwin (1864-1943), a British artist and illustrator known for his portraits and landscape paintings.
5. Francis Medwin (1892-1972), a British architect who designed several notable buildings in London during the early 20th century.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Medwin
Among Census respondents with the surname Medwin, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.5%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Medwin bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Medwin surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.2% · 114
- Hispanic or Latino2.5% · 3
- Two or more races2.5% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Medwin
Medwin appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#138,304
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
-6 bearers (-4.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 13,432 places
2020
#141,309
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
+0 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 3,005 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #124,872 | 127 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #138,304 | 121 | 0.04 | -6 bearers (-4.7%) | Down 13,432 places |
| 2020 | #141,309 | 121 | 0.04 | +0 bearers (+0.0%) | Down 3,005 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Medwin surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #138,304 | #141,309 | -2.2% |
| Count | 121 | 121 | 0.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 1.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Medwin bearers went from 121 to 121 (+0.0% change). The surname moved down 3,005 positions in the national ranking, going from #138,304 to #141,309.
FAQ
Medwin surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Medwin?
Name Census estimates that about 139 living Americans carry the surname Medwin. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,465,859 residents.
How common is Medwin?
Medwin ranks #141,309 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 121 people with the surname Medwin. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (139), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Medwin.
Has Medwin become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Medwin went from 121 recorded bearers to 121. That is an increase of 0 (+0.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #138,304 to #141,309.
What does the Census say about the background of Medwin?
Among Census respondents with the surname Medwin, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.5%) and Two or More Races (2.5%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Medwin in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.2% (114 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Medwin appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.2%), Hispanic (2.5%), Two or More Races (2.5%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Medwin (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Medwin mean?
An Anglo-Saxon surname referring to a meadow winner or landowner. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Medwin (0.04 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people share the surname Medwin?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.