Origin and popularity of the name BALDWIN

Origin

Baldwin : 1: English and North German: from a personal name composed of the ancient Germanic elements bald ‘bold brave’ + wine ‘friend’ which was extremely popular among the Normans and in Flanders in the early Middle Ages. It was the personal name of the Crusader who in 1100 became the first Christian king of Jerusalem and of four more Crusader kings of Jerusalem. It was also borne by Baldwin Count of Flanders (1172–1205) leader of the Fourth Crusade who became first Latin Emperor of Constantinople (1204). In North America this surname has absorbed Dutch forms such as Boudewijn.2: Irish: surname adopted in Donegal by bearers of the Gaelic surname Ó Maolagáin (see Milligan) due to association of Gaelic maol ‘bald hairless’ with English bald.

Balcock : from the Middle English personal name Bal(de)cok a pet form of Bald (usually for Baldwin) + the hypocoristic suffix -cok. There may have been some confusion with Bulcock.

Bowcutt : English (Warwickshire): variant of Balcock from the Middle English personal name Balcock a pet form of Bald (usually for Baldwin) + the hypocoristic suffix -cock.

Buckoke : variant of Balcock (a pet form of Baldwin) with rounding of the vowel as illustrated in Johannes Balkok' Ibbot Bolkok' 1379 in Poll Tax (Sheffield WR Yorks). Boucok shows vocalization of l to u. Compare Baldwin Boldwin Bowdin Boulcott (2) and especially Boocock.

Chaucer : from Old French chaucier ‘maker of chausses’ an agent derivative of Old French chauces ‘breeches pantaloons hose’. In 1484 these were ‘chauces of yron or legge harneys’ (OED). Middle English chauce was a general term for anything worn on the feet: boots shoes hose or leggings. As Baldwin le Chaucer (1307 London Letter Books B) was of Cordwanerstrete the early chaucer was probably a worker in leather a maker of leather breeches boots etc.

Revers : 1: see Rivers. 2: variant of River (2) or (3) + post-medieval excrescent -s. 3: from Reviers (Calvados Radaverum in 1077 Reviers 1160) whence came the de Rev(i)ers or Redvers family. Baldwin son of Richard de Redvers was made Earl of Devon in 1141. The family daughtered out in the 13th century and it is unlikely that any modern bearers of the surname Revers descend from it. See Rivers.

Trimmer : English (mainly Hampshire):: 1: occupational name from Middle English trimmer a derivative of the verb trimmen (Old English trymman) which had multiple meanings including ‘to strengthen confirm make ready’. The modern sense ‘to cut trim’ is not attested in Middle English literature but it is possible that the surname was for someone who cut something perhaps cloth.2: perhaps occasionally from the Middle English personal name Triamor of uncertain origin but found as the name of an Egyptian ruler in Alexandria in the medieval romance Guy of Warwick. It remained in use for many years in a Baldwin family from the Hertfordshire area.

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Last name frequency

Geographic distribution of the 148,978 individuals with the name BALDWIN on Geneanet.

This last name in the family trees

See below the Geneanet members' family trees which contain the last name BALDWIN