Given name & surname · also Old English
Godwin
“a friend of God”
Godwin is used as a given name and a surname. One English interpretation is “a friend of God.”
Original Old EnglishWine
Meaning & origin
What it means
One English interpretation is “a friend of God.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Old English.
How it developed
Godwin developed from Old English Godwine. The earlier name combines god (“god”) and wine (“friend”).
The story
The name’s historical associations include the Earl of Wessex during the 11th century.
Godwin through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 578
- 578 boys · 0 girls
- Most popular year
- 2011
- 22 babies
- 2025
- 15
- #5,951 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −15%
- Easing
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 15 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 5,951 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 15.5% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 1,824 as a first name in 2020; 21,784 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.
Godwin’s family of names
In English usage, Godwin developed from the Old English form Wine. Godwin has a related form in Godewen. Godwin has a related form in Godewin.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 12
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
- Godewynvariant
- Godewenvariant
- Godewinvariant
- Godwynnevariant
- Godwynnvariant
- Godwynvariant
- Godwennevariant
- Godwennvariant
Show 4 moreShow fewer
Across languages 3
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
See also 1
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
People named Godwin
- Godwin, Earl of WessexAnglo-Saxon nobleman; son of Wulfnoth Cild
- Godwin OkparaNigerian footballerborn 1972
- Godwin FridayPrime Minister of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines since 2025born 1959
- Godwin von BrumowskiAustro-Hungarian flying ace (1889-1936)
- Godwin AntwiSpanish-Ghanian association football playerborn 1988
- Godwin ObasekiNigerian politicianborn 1957
- Godwin Attramfootballerborn 1980
- Godwin OdiyeNigerian footballer and RHF teacherborn 1956
- Godwin MawuruZimbabwean film director (1961-2013)
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
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