Given name & surname
Darwin
“a beloved friend”
Darwin is used as a given name and a surname. One English interpretation is “a beloved friend.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
One English interpretation is “a beloved friend.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is English.
How it developed
From Middle English Darwin, from Old English Dēorwine.
Adapted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1881. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Darwin through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 26,436
- 26,347 boys · 89 girls
- Most popular year
- 1958
- 425 babies
- 2025
- 241
- #961 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −5%
- Steady
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 241 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 961 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 4.0% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 418 in 1958. In 2025, Florida had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (30). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 21,720 as a first name in 2020; 1,703 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Darwin’s family of names
Darwin has a related form in Darwyn. Darwin has a related form in Darwen. Darwin has a related form in Darwenn.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Darwin has relatives in 5 languages. Lines run from its English roots to each of them.
6 related names in 5 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 12
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
- Darwynvariant
- Derwentvariant
- Darrwinlikely variant
- Darwonvariant
- Darwynnevariant
- Darwynnvariant
- Darwennevariant
- Darwennvariant
Show 4 moreShow fewer
Spellings & scripts 1
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 7
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Darwin
- Darwin NúñezUruguayan association football playerborn 1999
- Darwin MachísVenezuelan association football playerborn 1993
- Darwin AtapumaRoad racing cyclistborn 1988
- Darwin QuinteroColombian footballerborn 1987
- Darwin CerénSalvadoran footballerborn 1989
- Darwin AndradeColombian footballerborn 1991
- Darwin ShawBritish actorborn 2000
- Darwin BarneyAmerican baseball playerborn 1985
- Darwin PinzónPanamanian footballerborn 1994
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Darwin, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Daryl
“one who is greatly loved”
99% boys · 1% girls
Dan
“he judged”
97% boys · 3% girls
Dale
“from the small valley” · “from the valley”
97% boys · 3% girls
Darren
“a great man” · “a gift from God”
>99% boys
Daron
“the great one” · “from a small rocky hill”
>99% boys
Kelvin
“a friend of ships; a man of the river”
>99% boys
Darrel
“one who is dearly loved”
>99% boys
Dean
“from the valley; a church official”
>99% boys