# Selwyn (surname)

Source: https://namelineage.com/surname/selwyn/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. Counts from the US Census Bureau; origin and etymology from Wiktionary; bearers from Wikidata. Data updated 2026-11-11.

A surname transferred from the given name.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Origin | English |
| Type | patronymic, formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name |
| People in the US (2010 Census) | 395 |
| US rank (2010) | 52,482 of 162,253 |
| How often | about 1 in every 781,634 people |
| Change since 2000 | -2.2% (404 in 2000) |
| Pronunciation | not recorded |
| Variant spellings | none recorded |

## 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.

## Who carries it

Share of people named Selwyn in the 2010 US Census by the Census's own race and ethnicity groups. The Census suppresses a share when the count behind it is small.

| Group | Share |
|---|---|
| White (not Hispanic) | 71% |
| Black (not Hispanic) | 1.5% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 4.6% |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 5.1% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 16% |
| Two or more races | 2.0% |

## Where

Wikidata records people named Selwyn in the United States.

## People named Selwyn

- Edgar Selwyn, American actor, director, and producer

## Similar surnames

Sloan, Solano, Slone, Salem, Sloane, Saleem, Salim, Schwalm, Slama, Slane, Salama, Salaam.

## How to read these numbers

A Census count is people alive and counted in 2010, not births, and names occurring fewer than 100 times are not published at all. Ethnicity shares are the Census's own categories.