# Selwyn (first name)

Source: https://namelineage.com/first-name/selwyn/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. US counts from the Social Security Administration; England and Wales counts from the Office for National Statistics; meaning and etymology from Wiktionary. Data updated 2026-11-11.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Usually given to | boys |
| Origin | English |
| Meaning | “hall”, “friend” |
| Pronunciation | not recorded |
| Nicknames | none recorded |
| Variant spellings | none recorded |
| US babies named this | 1,418 since 1880 |
| Boys / girls in the US | 1,408 / 10 (1% girls) |
| Babies in England and Wales | 26, 1996 to 2025 |

## Etymology

From the Middle English form of Latin Silvanus. Also from the Old English given name Selewine, from sel (“hall”) + wine (“friend”). The places are named after bearers of the surname.

## What it means

Selwyn is grouped under friend.

## Popularity

The last 15 years of each series. A year is missing when too few babies were given the name for the agency to publish it: five in the US, three in England and Wales.

### United States, girls

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1924 | 5 | 5,774 |
| 1961 | 5 | 7,371 |

### United States, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 6 | 11,226 |
| 2007 | 10 | 8,067 |
| 2008 | 8 | 9,713 |
| 2009 | 8 | 9,713 |
| 2010 | 7 | 10,564 |
| 2011 | 6 | 12,015 |
| 2012 | 6 | 12,031 |
| 2013 | 10 | 8,000 |
| 2014 | 5 | 13,732 |
| 2015 | 8 | 9,428 |
| 2016 | 6 | 11,901 |
| 2017 | 5 | 13,919 |
| 2018 | 8 | 9,522 |
| 2024 | 9 | 8,864 |
| 2025 | 6 | 11,774 |

### England and Wales, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 3 | 2,901 |
| 2002 | 4 | 2,636 |
| 2003 | 3 | 3,467 |
| 2005 | 3 | 3,849 |
| 2008 | 3 | 4,432 |
| 2010 | 3 | 4,678 |
| 2014 | 4 | 3,895 |
| 2020 | 3 | 4,608 |

## In other languages

- Chinese: 塞爾温

## People named Selwyn

- Selwyn Maister, field hockey player and chemist
- Selwyn Edge, British businessman and racing driver (1868-1940)
- Selwyn Birchwood, American guitarist and singer

## How to read these numbers

A count is babies registered with that name in that year, not people alive now, so a name common a century ago can have a large total and few recent births.