Given name & surname · also Latin
Selwyn
“a friend of the manor”
Selwyn is used as a given name and a surname. One English interpretation is “a friend of the manor.” Its derivation is not certain.
Meaning & origin
What it means
One English interpretation is “a friend of the manor.” Its derivation is not certain.
Where it comes from
A possible origin is Latin, although the derivation remains uncertain.
How it developed
It entered given-name use through an existing surname.
The story
Its naming history includes the use of a family name as a given name.
Selwyn through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 1,418
- 1,408 boys · 10 girls
- Most popular year
- 1961
- 43 babies
- 2025
- 6
- #11,774 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- —
- Too few births to compare
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 6 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 11,774 among boys’ names. The recent annual counts are too incomplete to establish a ten-year comparison. Its largest published annual count for boys was 38 in 1961. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 1,429 as a first name in 2020; 353 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.
Selwyn’s family of names
Selwyn has a related form in Selwen. Selwyn has a related form in Selwenn. Selwyn has a related form in Selwenne.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 8
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Across languages 1
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 Selwyn
- Selwyn Lloydpolitician (1904-1978)
- Selwyn Maisterfield hockey player and chemistborn 1946
- Selwyn EdgeBritish businessman and racing driver (1868-1940)
- Selwyn BirchwoodAmerican guitarist and singerborn 1985
- Selwyn ImageEnglish poet and artist (1849-1930)
- Selwyn JepsonBritish writer (1899–1989)
- Selwyn PorterAustralian general1905–1963
- Selwyn RaabAmerican journalist, author, and investigative reporter (1934–2025)
- Selwyn Sese AlaVanuatuan footballer (1986-2015)
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Selwyn, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Derwin
“a friend of the deer; a gifted friend”
>99% boys
Kelvin
“a friend of ships; a man of the river”
>99% boys
Darvin
“a beloved friend”
>99% boys
Darwin
“a beloved friend”
99% boys · 1% girls
Shelton
“from the farm on the ledge”
>99% boys
Sherman
“one who cuts wool cloth”
>99% boys
Ken
“born of fire” · “handsome, fair one”
>99% boys
Ron
“song of Joy”
>99% boys