Berwin
A masculine name of English origin meaning "peaceful bear or warrior".
Name Census estimates that about 11 living Americans carry the first name Berwin. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Berwin today is around 31 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Berwin births was 1971 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Berwin. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Berwin. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
11
~ 1 in 31,159,485 Americans
Peak year
1971
6 babies that year
Average age
31
years old
2023 SSA rank
#12,480
Tracked since 1920
Popularity
Berwin: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Berwin from the 1920s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 10 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1920s peak, Berwin remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Berwin by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Berwin during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Berwin
The name Berwin is believed to have originated in the ancient Germanic languages, with roots tracing back to the 5th century. It is thought to be a combination of the Old German words "bero," meaning bear, and "wine," meaning friend or protector. Thus, the name Berwin could be interpreted as "bear friend" or "protector like a bear."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Berwin can be found in the Codex Amiatinus, a renowned 8th-century manuscript of the Latin Vulgate Bible. In this text, a monk named Berwin is mentioned as a scribe who contributed to the creation of this important work.
During the Middle Ages, the name Berwin gained popularity among the nobility and ruling classes of various Germanic regions. In the 11th century, Berwin of Trier was a prominent nobleman and military leader who played a significant role in the conflicts between the Holy Roman Empire and the Papacy.
In the 13th century, Berwin the Younger was a renowned architect and stonemason who contributed to the construction of several cathedrals and abbeys in present-day Germany and France. His masterful skills in Gothic architecture left a lasting legacy that can still be appreciated today.
Moving forward to the 16th century, Berwin Rudesheimer was a noted German winemaker and merchant who helped establish the reputation of the Rheingau region as a premier wine-producing area. His innovative techniques and dedication to quality earned him widespread recognition and respect among his contemporaries.
Another notable figure bearing the name Berwin was Berwin von Ravensburg, a 17th-century German explorer and adventurer. He embarked on several expeditions to the Americas and documented his travels in a series of widely-read journals, providing valuable insights into the cultures and landscapes he encountered.
Throughout history, the name Berwin has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, each leaving their mark on the world in their own unique way. While the name may have evolved in spelling and pronunciation over the centuries, its roots remain firmly grounded in the rich cultural heritage of the ancient Germanic peoples.
People
Berwin + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Berwin as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with B
Other first names starting with B with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Berwin: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Berwin?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 11 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Berwin going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 31,159,485 US residents.
Is Berwin a common name?
We classify Berwin as "Very Rare". It ranks above 30.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 21 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Berwin most popular?
The single biggest year for Berwin was 1971, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Berwin is about 31 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Berwin in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Berwin a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Berwin in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Berwin still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Berwin in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Berwin can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people share the name Berwin?
Find out how many Americans are named Berwin on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.