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The first name Goodwin

A boy’s name from English meaning “good”, “friend”.

Pronounced /ˈɡʊdwɪn/ 2 syllables Male Also a surname

Meaning and origin

English origin

Goodwin means “good”, “friend” in English.

From Old English gōd (“good”) + wine (“friend”).

More names that mean friend.

From Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Popularity in the United States

Babies named Goodwin at birth, 1880–2025

In 2006, 6 boys born in the United States were named Goodwin, the 11,115th most popular boys’ name that year. It was used most in 1918, when 18 were.

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256
babies named Goodwin since 1880
#11,115
rank in 2006
1918
peak year

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.

Famous people named Goodwin

2 on Wikidata, most written-about first

  • Gregory Goodwin Pincus
    American biochemist (1903–1967)
  • Goodwin Knight
    31st Governor of California (1896–1970)

More English boys’ names

Questions

What does the name Goodwin mean?
Goodwin means “good”, “friend” in English.
What is the origin of the name Goodwin?
From Old English gōd (“good”) + wine (“friend”).
Is Goodwin a boy's or a girl's name?
Mostly a boy's name: 100% of the 256 US babies named Goodwin since 1880 were boys.
When was Goodwin most popular?
1918 in the United States, when 18 babies were named Goodwin, its highest rank at 1,854th.
How do you pronounce Goodwin?
Goodwin is /ˈɡʊdwɪn/, 2 syllables.
Is Goodwin also a surname?
Yes. Goodwin is used as a surname as well as a first name; its surname page has the origin and how many people carry it.