UK surname
A variant of "Baldwin", derived from Old German "bald" meaning "bold" and "wine" meaning "friend".
In the 1881 census there were 94 people recorded with the Balwin surname, ranking it #20,467 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 12, ranked #37,385, down from #20,467 in 1881.
The strongest historical links point to Cawston, St George, Hanover Square, Buckingham Palace and Coventry Holy Trinity (incl. Radford), Coventry St Michael, Wyken. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include No data.
Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Balwin is 113 in 1861. Compared with 1881, the name has fallen by 87.2%.
1881 census count
94
Ranked #20,467
Modern count
12
2016, ranked #37,385
Peak year
1861
113 bearers
Map years
1
1861 to 1861
Key insights
Map
Back to topThe map shows where the Balwin surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.
Distribution map
Balwin surname density by area, 1861 census.
Timeline
Back to topThe table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.
| Year | Period | Count | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1851 | historical | 67 | #21,440 |
| 1861 | historical | 113 | #19,151 |
| 1881 | historical | 94 | #20,467 |
| 1891 | historical | 77 | #27,169 |
| 1901 | historical | 47 | #28,929 |
| 1911 | historical | 41 | #28,802 |
| 1997 | modern | 29 | #34,795 |
| 1998 | modern | 30 | #34,833 |
| 1999 | modern | 35 | #34,418 |
| 2000 | modern | 27 | #35,188 |
| 2001 | modern | 15 | #36,265 |
| 2002 | modern | 15 | #36,381 |
| 2003 | modern | 11 | #36,842 |
| 2004 | modern | 14 | #36,648 |
| 2005 | modern | 16 | #36,530 |
| 2006 | modern | 16 | #36,601 |
| 2007 | modern | 18 | #36,537 |
| 2008 | modern | 18 | #36,607 |
| 2009 | modern | 20 | #36,534 |
| 2010 | modern | 18 | #36,774 |
| 2011 | modern | 20 | #36,587 |
| 2012 | modern | 13 | #37,169 |
| 2013 | modern | 12 | #37,342 |
| 2014 | modern | 12 | #37,355 |
| 2015 | modern | 11 | #37,467 |
| 2016 | modern | 12 | #37,385 |
Geography
Back to topHistorical parish links are strongest around Cawston, St George, Hanover Square, Buckingham Palace, Coventry Holy Trinity (incl. Radford), Coventry St Michael, Wyken, Romford and London parishes. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.
The modern local-area list points to No data. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.
| Rank | Parish | Area |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cawston | Norfolk |
| 2 | St George, Hanover Square, Buckingham Palace | London (West Districts) |
| 3 | Coventry Holy Trinity (incl. Radford), Coventry St Michael, Wyken | Warwickshire |
| 4 | Romford | Essex |
| 5 | London parishes | London 2 |
| Rank | Area | District |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | No data | No data |
Forenames
Back to topThese lists show first names that appear often with the Balwin surname in historical and recent records.
Recent female names
Recent male names
Modern profile
Back to topModern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Balwin, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.
These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.
The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.
UK neighbourhood type
Supergroup
No data
Group
No data
Nationally, the Balwin surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as No data, within No data. This does not mean every Balwin household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.
London neighbourhood type
Supergroup
No data
Group
No data
Within London, Balwin is most associated with areas classed as No data, part of No data. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.
Broadband speed
The modern neighbourhood pattern for Balwin is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of No data.
Area snapshot
This describes the area pattern most associated with Balwin, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.
Origin
Back to topThe surname BALWIN is of English origin, deriving from the Old English words 'bald' meaning 'bold' or 'brave', and 'wine' meaning 'friend'. It is believed to have originated in the counties of Gloucestershire and Worcestershire in the West Midlands region of England during the late Anglo-Saxon period, around the 10th or 11th century.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name BALWIN can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as 'Baldwinus'. This was a survey of landholdings and properties commissioned by William the Conqueror, and it suggests that the name was already established in parts of England by the late 11th century.
During the Middle Ages, the BALWIN surname was relatively widespread across various parts of England, with variations in spelling such as 'Baldwin', 'Baudwin', and 'Bawdwyn' appearing in various medieval records and manuscripts. One notable bearer of the name was William Balwin, a 14th-century English scholar and theologian who lived from around 1300 to 1368.
In the 16th century, a branch of the BALWIN family settled in the county of Buckinghamshire, where they held land and property near the village of Wendover. One of the earliest recorded members of this branch was John Balwin, who was born in Wendover in 1532 and served as a local magistrate and landowner.
As the surname spread throughout England, it also gained prominence in other parts of the British Isles. One notable figure was James Balwin, a Scottish Presbyterian minister who was born in Ayrshire in 1662 and later became a prominent religious leader and author in Ireland.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, several BALWIN families emigrated from England to the American colonies, where the name took root and continued to be passed down through subsequent generations. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name in America was Robert Balwin, who was born in Gloucestershire in 1620 and later settled in Virginia in the 1640s.
Other notable bearers of the BALWIN surname throughout history include Sir John Balwin, a 15th-century English knight and landowner who was born in Warwickshire around 1420, and Thomas Balwin, a 17th-century English lawyer and politician who served as a member of parliament for the borough of Derbyshire in the 1620s.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
1881 census detail
Back to topThese tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Balwin surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.
Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Kent leads with 25 Balwins recorded in 1881 and an index of 7.99x.
| County | Total | Index |
|---|---|---|
| Kent | 25 | 7.99x |
| Norfolk | 17 | 12.06x |
| Middlesex | 14 | 1.53x |
| Yorkshire | 12 | 1.32x |
| Lancashire | 10 | 0.92x |
| Surrey | 9 | 2.01x |
| Berkshire | 1 | 1.45x |
| Buckinghamshire | 1 | 1.80x |
| Derbyshire | 1 | 0.70x |
| Devon | 1 | 0.52x |
| Gloucestershire | 1 | 0.56x |
| Monmouthshire | 1 | 1.51x |
| Oxfordshire | 1 | 1.77x |
Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Leeds in Yorkshire leads with 11 Balwins recorded in 1881 and an index of 21.44x.
| Place | Total | Index |
|---|---|---|
| Leeds | 11 | 21.44x |
| Sibertswold | 10 | 6250.00x |
| Cawston | 8 | 2352.94x |
| Heston | 7 | 230.26x |
| Newchurch | 7 | 78.65x |
| Lingfield | 6 | 689.66x |
| Barningham Norwood | 5 | 50000.00x |
| Deptford St Paul | 5 | 20.73x |
| Bexley | 3 | 108.30x |
| Penge | 3 | 51.19x |
| Woolwich | 3 | 25.95x |
| Clerkenwell London | 2 | 9.24x |
| Lakenham | 2 | 100.00x |
| St Pancras London | 2 | 2.71x |
| Wavertree | 2 | 57.47x |
| Charlton Next Woolwich | 1 | 30.67x |
| Chesterfield | 1 | 18.59x |
| Dixton Hadnock | 1 | 588.24x |
| Doncaster | 1 | 15.06x |
| East Stonehouse | 1 | 26.60x |
| Ewelme | 1 | 526.32x |
| Great Missenden | 1 | 147.06x |
| Great Yarmouth | 1 | 8.56x |
| Heigham | 1 | 13.21x |
| Northfleet | 1 | 36.23x |
| Sandhurst | 1 | 75.19x |
| St George Bloomsbury | 1 | 19.01x |
| St George Hanover Square | 1 | 6.19x |
| Ulcombe | 1 | 476.19x |
| West Derby | 1 | 3.14x |
| Westbury On Severn East | 1 | 24.63x |
| Westminster St James | 1 | 10.62x |
| Wilmington | 1 | 227.27x |
These are the female first names most often recorded with the Balwin surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.
These are the male first names most often recorded with the Balwin surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.
Occupational titles are kept as recorded and later transcribed, so related jobs, spelling variants and mistakes stay separate. Scholar was the census term for a child in education. That means the other rows often tell you more about adult work in Balwin households.
| Occupation | Count |
|---|---|
| Scholar | 20 |
| Labourer | 6 |
| Scholor | 4 |
| Domestic Servant | 3 |
| Bricklayer | 2 |
| Cloth Dresser | 2 |
| Boot Finisher | 1 |
| Brick Layer | 1 |
| Bricklayers Lab | 1 |
| Carman | 1 |
| Carpenter | 1 |
| Carrier | 1 |
| Cellar Man In Stores | 1 |
| Charwoman | 1 |
| Cloth Dyer | 1 |
| Cook | 1 |
| Cotton Throstle Spinner | 1 |
| Domestic Serv (Housemaid) | 1 |
| Domestic Svnt | 1 |
| Gen Servant | 1 |
| General Domestic Servant | 1 |
| Groom | 1 |
| Housemaid Dom Serv | 1 |
| Iron Monger | 1 |
| Laborer | 1 |
| Labourer (Ag) | 1 |
| Labourer Wife | 1 |
| Mill & Farmer Employing 2 Men At Mill | 1 |
| Millers Wife | 1 |
| Needlewoman | 1 |
| Painter | 1 |
| Pensioner Unemployed | 1 |
| Private R M | 1 |
| Quarryman | 1 |
| Road Surveyor | 1 |
| Servant (Inn) | 1 |
| Sick Nurse | 1 |
| Teacher Public School | 1 |
FAQ
In 1881, 94 people were recorded with the Balwin surname. That placed it at #20,467 in the surname rankings for that year.
The latest modern count shown here is 12 in 2016. That gives Balwin a modern rank of #37,385.
A variant of "Baldwin", derived from Old German "bald" meaning "bold" and "wine" meaning "friend".
The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Balwin bearers relative to the surrounding population.
The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.