The first name Baldwin
A boy’s name meaning “bold friend”.
Pronounced /ˈbɔːld.wɪn/ 2 syllables Male Also a surname
Meaning and origin
Baldwin means “bold friend”.
From Proto-West Germanic *Balþawini, from Proto-Germanic *Balþawiniz (“bold friend”).
More names that mean friend.
From Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Popularity
Babies registered in England and Wales, 1996–2025
Baldwin last appeared in the official list in 2012, given to 3 boys.
Office for National Statistics; years with fewer than three births are not published and show as zero. Compare Baldwin with other names.
Popularity in the United States
Babies named Baldwin at birth, 1880–2025
In 2023, 6 boys born in the United States were named Baldwin, the 10,989th most popular boys’ name that year. It was used most in 1965, when 13 were.
US Social Security Administration, from applications for a Social Security card. A name is only published for a year when at least five babies were given it, so quieter years show as zero.
Baldwin in other languages
Equivalent forms of the name, from Wiktionary
Spelled Baldwin in Finnish too.
Famous people named Baldwin
22 on Wikidata, most written-about first
- Baldwin II of JerusalemCount of Edessa (r. 1100-1118) and King of Jerusalem (r. 1118–1131)
- Baldwin V of FlandersCount of Flanders (1012-1067)
- Baldwin II of ConstantinopleEmperor of Constantinople, 1217–1273
- Baldwin VI, Count of FlandersCount of Mons and Hainaut and Flanders (1030-1070)
- Baldwin IVCount of Flanders (980-1035)
- Baldwin VII, Count of FlandersCount of Flanders (1093-1119)
- Baldwin III, Count of FlandersCount of Flanders (940-962)
- Baldwin II, Count of HainautCount of Hainaut (1056-1098)
- Baldwin IV, Count of HainautCount of Hainaut from 1120 to his death
- Baldwin III, Count of HainautCount of Hainaut (1088-1120)
- Baldwin of LuxembourgArchbishop of Trier, 1285–1354
- Walter Baldwin SpencerEnglish-Australian biologist and anthropologist. (1860–1929)
Questions
- What does the name Baldwin mean?
- Baldwin means “bold friend”.
- How popular is the name Baldwin?
- In 2012, 3 boys born in England and Wales were named Baldwin, ranking 4,805th.
- Is Baldwin a boy's or a girl's name?
- Mostly a boy's name: 100% of the 634 US babies named Baldwin since 1880 were boys.
- When was Baldwin most popular?
- 1965 in the United States, when 13 babies were named Baldwin, its highest rank at 2,278th.
- How do you pronounce Baldwin?
- Baldwin is /ˈbɔːld.wɪn/, 2 syllables.
- Is Baldwin also a surname?
- Yes. Baldwin is used as a surname as well as a first name; its surname page has the origin and how many people carry it.