NameCensus.

UK name, mostly boys

Darwin

A masculine given name derived from the Old English words "derwine" meaning "dear friend".

For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2024. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.

Darwin is mostly registered for boys in the UK records. People looking for Darwin popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #1053, with 28 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2018, with 28 births.

This profile covers 428 England and Wales registrations across 26 recorded years from 1996 to 2024. The figures come from ONS England and Wales and NRS Scotland, so the page is a view of published baby-name registrations rather than a forecast or a live count of people using the name today.

The latest count is about 100% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.

We estimate that about 432 living people in the UK are called Darwin. This uses published birth registrations from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, then applies ONS national life tables to estimate how many are likely still alive. It does not forecast extra births for 2025 or 2026.

Key insights

  • Darwin ranked #1053 for boys in England and Wales in 2024, with 28 registrations.
  • The name peaked in 2018, when 28 boys were registered as Darwin.
  • Darwin ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #727 in 2024.
  • About 432 living people in the UK are estimated to have Darwin as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
  • Across the England and Wales records shown here, 97.5% of Darwin registrations are for boys.

Latest rank (E&W)

#1053

2024

Births in 2024

28

Latest year

Peak year

2018

28 births

Estimated living

432

2026

Gender

Boy and girl registrations for Darwin

In England and Wales birth records, Darwin has been registered for both boys and girls. Across the years shown here, 97.5% of registrations are for boys and 2.5% are for girls.

These figures use the sex categories in the published baby-name files. They are useful for spotting how the name is used at registration, but they are not a live measure of gender identity or everyone living with the name today.

97% boys
Boys428 (97.5%)Girls11 (2.5%)

Darwin registered for boys

  • Ranked #1,053 in 2024
  • 28 boys registered in 2024
  • Peak: 2018 (28 births)

Darwin registered for girls

  • Ranked #4,634 in 2021
  • 4 girls registered in 2021
  • Peak: 2016 (4 births)

Meaning

What does Darwin mean?

The name Darwin is an English given name derived from the Old English word "deor", meaning "beloved" or "dear one". It has been in use since at least the 11th century, with early records showing variations such as Derwine and Deorwine.

One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Derwine, a monk and saint who lived in the 7th century in what is now Northumbria, England. He was known for founding several monasteries and his dedication to the Christian faith.

The name gained wider recognition in the 19th century due to the renowned English naturalist Charles Robert Darwin (1809-1882). Darwin is best known for his groundbreaking work on the theory of evolution by natural selection, outlined in his landmark book "On the Origin of Species" published in 1859.

Another notable bearer of the name was Darwin D. Martin (1865-1935), an American businessman and leading figure in the Larkin Company. He commissioned Frank Lloyd Wright to design several residential and commercial buildings, including the Darwin D. Martin House in Buffalo, New York, which is considered a masterpiece of Prairie School architecture.

In the world of literature, Darwin L. Teilhet (1904-1976) was an American writer and journalist who authored several novels and short stories, including "The Whisper of the Axe" and "The Horizontal Nightmare".

More recently, Darwin Enrique Quintero (born 1980) is a Venezuelan professional baseball pitcher who has played for various teams in Major League Baseball, including the Houston Astros and the San Francisco Giants.

While the name Darwin has its roots in Old English, it has gained global recognition and has been used across various cultures and regions, often as a tribute to the influential naturalist Charles Darwin and his groundbreaking scientific contributions.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

Popularity

Darwin over time

The chart below compares boys and girls registered as Darwin in England and Wales, from 1996 to 2024. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.

For Darwin, the clearest high point is 2018. The latest England and Wales figure is 28 births in 2024, compared with 28 at the peak.

Babies born per year

BoysGirls
07142128199620102024

Decades

Darwin by decade

Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Darwin was a short-lived spike or a name that stayed in regular use. Average rank is calculated only from years where a published rank exists.

Decade Average rank Total births Years covered
2020s #1472 94 5
2010s #1196 226 10
2000s #1819 94 9
1990s #1625 14 2

Geography

Where Darwin is most common

The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Darwin. They are useful for spotting where the name is showing up in real numbers, while the rank beside each bar shows how strongly it performs inside that region.

Darwin ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #727 in 2024.

Scotland
3

Across the UK

Darwin in Scotland and Northern Ireland

Scotland (NRS)

#727 in 2024

2 years of NRS records, 7 total registered

Notable bearers

Famous people named Darwin

  • Darwin Shaw

    model; stage actor; film actor

    British actor

    2000-

Related

Names similar to Darwin

FAQ

Darwin: questions and answers

How popular is the name Darwin in the UK right now?

In 2024, Darwin was ranked #1053 for boys in England and Wales, with 28 births registered.

When was Darwin most popular?

The peak year on record was 2018, with 28 babies registered as Darwin in England and Wales.

What is the meaning and origin of Darwin?

A masculine given name derived from the Old English words "derwine" meaning "dear friend".

How many people are called Darwin in the UK?

A total of 428 babies have been registered as Darwin across the 26 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 7 more in Scotland.

Where is Darwin most common?

In the latest published local rankings, Darwin ranks best in Scotland, where it placed #727 in 2024. The regional bars on this page use birth counts, so they also reflect the size of each region.

Which records is this page based on?

The England and Wales timeline uses ONS baby-name records. Scotland figures come from NRS and Northern Ireland figures come from NISRA. Counts are registrations in published baby-name files. The living estimate uses those birth registrations with ONS national life tables.