Durwin
Masculine · “Probably Old English Deorwine”
Durwin is a mid-century American name that sounds like an Old English one, Deorwine, 'dear friend'. Its first syllable shares its sound with deer, a word that once meant any animal at all.
How old is the name Durwin?
Durwin first appears in US birth records in 1934 — 91 years ago. The typical Durwin alive today was born around 1963, making them about 62 years old. About 500 people named Durwin are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Durwin most popular?
Durwin peaked in 1956, reaching #1285 nationally. See the whole 1956 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
From Deorwine to Durwin
The story of Durwin
Old English had a family of words that sound like the start of Durwin. Deore meant 'dear' or 'precious', and deor meant a wild animal of any kind: in King Lear, Edgar, disguised as Poor Tom, says that 'mice and rats and such small deer' have been his food for seven long years, and it was only later that deer narrowed to the antlered animal. Deorwine, 'dear friend', was an Old English personal name, and Derwin and Durwin appear as surnames and then as American first names in the twentieth century.
Meaningscholars disagree
Probably Old English Deorwine, 'dear friend'
Deorwine joins deore, 'dear', and wine, 'friend'. Durwin may instead be a respelling of Derwin, itself used as a surname; the record does not say which.
How the name formed
- Deorwine
- Derwin
- Durwin
Related forms: Derwin · Durwood
Pronouncing Durwin
DUR-win
Two syllables with the stress on the first.
Nicknames for Durwin
Moderate
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1934
- Most boys named
- 195636 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #1285reached in 1956
- Change vs 1992
- 0.0%6 in 1995, from 6
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Durwin in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Derwin in English — spelling variant
- Durwood in English — related form
Durwins among us
people named Durwin are estimated to be alive in the US today
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
Questions parents actually ask
Fashion outlook
Durwin sits outside the current charts, and that is its own kind of answer: naming cycles can only date the names they carried up. A name this rare has no decade stamped on it — it cannot go out of fashion, because it was never in.
Based on 146 years of naming cycles. How we read them
The trade-off
- A plausible Old English meaning, 'dear friend'.
- Easy to say and spell.
- Rare, so a Durwin is unlikely to meet another.
- People will hear Darwin and may write it that way.
- It reads as a mid-century name.
- Its meaning is likely rather than certain.
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Durwin
Masculine
Frequently asked
- How many Durwins are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 500 people named Durwin are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Durwin in 2025?
- Durwin is rarely given in the US today — it does not rank in the top 2000 boy names.
- Will my child share the name Durwin with classmates?
- Durwin will almost certainly be the only one in school.
More D names
The most-given names starting with D, all years combined.
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Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Durwin? See the current top 100.
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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