Darwin
- Pronunciation
- [Dar-win]
- Gender
- Male
- Meaning
- Dear Friend. Nineteenth-Century Naturalist Charles Darwin Was The First Major Exponent Of Human Evolution.
- Origin
- English
About the Name Darwin
Darwin is a distinctive English name meaning "dear friend," from Old English elements for "dear" or "beloved" and "friend." Although it long existed as a surname, the name is inseparable in the modern mind from the nineteenth-century naturalist Charles Darwin, a leading exponent of the theory of human evolution, which lends Darwin an air of intellect, curiosity, and scientific legacy. It is that rare name that combines a tender meaning with an association of bold, world-changing inquiry.
In the United States the name has carved out a durable place, with particularly strong use among Hispanic families. Darwin first entered the Social Security top-1000 in 2001, peaked in 2010 at rank #732, and remains on the list in 2024 at #839, with 293 boys given the name that year. Across its run it has been given to roughly 5,692 boys who reached the top-1000, a notably strong total that reflects its broad and lasting appeal.
Darwin's appeal lies in its blend of a warm, affectionate meaning and a famous, accomplished association, plus a sturdy two-syllable sound that travels easily across languages. It offers easy short forms like Dar and Win for everyday use. Recorded variants include Darwyn and Derwin, giving parents subtly different spellings of this thoughtful, intellectually flavored, and heritage-rich name.
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration name data, 1880–2024 (methodology). By Marvin Tang.
Quick Facts About Darwin
US Popularity History (2001–2025)
Annual US births named Darwin by gender, from US Social Security Administration records. Peak year: 2009 with 314 boys named Darwin (boy rank #740 that year).
Where it stands today: in 2025, ranked #961 for boys (241 US births). That's 221 places below its 2009 peak.
Source: US Social Security Administration. Limitations: US birth-certificate data only; names appearing fewer than 5 times in a given year are suppressed for privacy; spelling variants are counted separately. For names that ranked outside the US top 100 before year 2000, only the years they reached the top 100 are shown — the chart may have gaps for less-popular historical names.
Paste the snippet below on any HTML page. Includes a credit link back to 9BabyNames — please keep it intact.
Where in the US Is Darwin Most Popular?
Average boy-name rank within each state across 2016–2025 SSA records. A lower number means the name appears closer to the top of that state's boys-name rankings — a per-capita measure that isn't biased toward large states. For Darwin the strongest states are Maryland, New Jersey, Massachusetts.
Strongest boys-name states
| # | State | Avg rank | Births |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Maryland | #501 | 61 |
| 2 | New Jersey | #577 | 110 |
| 3 | Massachusetts | #588 | 45 |
| 4 | Louisiana | #686 | 26 |
| 5 | Virginia | #698 | 76 |
| 6 | New York | #709 | 190 |
| 7 | Florida | #716 | 167 |
| 8 | Minnesota | #767 | 17 |
| 9 | Washington | #787 | 22 |
| 10 | Texas | #822 | 238 |
Weakest boys-name states
| # | State | Avg rank | Births |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Illinois | #960 | 25 |
| 2 | Georgia | #926 | 34 |
| 3 | Tennessee | #917 | 47 |
| 4 | Pennsylvania | #888 | 50 |
| 5 | North Carolina | #860 | 64 |
| 6 | California | #849 | 230 |
| 7 | Indiana | #845 | 31 |
| 8 | Texas | #822 | 238 |
| 9 | Washington | #787 | 22 |
| 10 | Minnesota | #767 | 17 |
Source: SSA state-level baby-name dataset 2016–2025. States with fewer than 3 years of data for Darwin in this window are excluded. Births < 5 in a given state-year are suppressed by SSA for privacy.
Variant Forms
Looking for names like Darwin?
A dedicated page with 60+ related names — spelling variants, rhymes, alliterations, same-origin matches, and shared meaning concepts — lives at its own URL so each kind of similarity gets a deeper treatment than fits here.
Compare Darwin to Other Popular Names
Side-by-side popularity charts and crossover years for Darwin against today's most popular boys-name peers (top 8 by US births in the last 10 years of SSA records).