Total births
21,213
Boys' name · since 1880
Erwin
21,213 babies named Erwin in U.S. Social Security records since 1880, with the highest year being 1918. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #2421
- among boys today
- 21,213
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
- 83%
- more common than other boys
Yes -- Erwin is the #2421 most popular boys' name in the U.S. today, with 21,213 recorded since 1880.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Erwin has been recorded 21,213 times among boys since 1880, currently ranked #2421 nationally and more common than 83% of boys, with its heaviest use in the 1920s. This profile covers year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution, all derived directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #2421 among boys today
- 21,213 born since 1880
- 1920s peak decade
- 83% more common than other boys
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Erwin is currently the #2421 boys' name in America, more common than 83% of boys - 21,213 born since 1880, peaking in the 1920s.
- #2421
- among boys today
- 21,213
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
- 83%
- more common than other boys
Erwin vs. every other boys name in current SSA rankings
#2421
of 14,294 boys in use
More common than 83% of names given to boys today.
1920s
Peak decade
21% of everyone ever named Erwin was born in this single decade.
1918
Single peak year
512 babies were named Erwin in 1918 - its busiest year on record.
How Erwin compares
21,213 Top 6% higher than 94% of 14,294 names currently given to boys
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked boys names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Erwin's all-time total is 58x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Erwin | Median boys name (Elchonon) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 21,213 | 367 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 512 | 23 | 22,252 |
Erwin's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Erwin splits its recorded history at 1953: 35% of all births land in the more recent half, 65% in the earlier half, leaning more toward its earlier era than today's. The single quietest year was 1882 (12 births) -- compare that against the 1918 peak of 512 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Erwin at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
1918
Current rank
#2,421
Active since
1880
Erwin popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1918)
- 512
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Erwin popularity over time - girls
49 total births recorded since 1916 (Erwin as girls' name)
Erwin by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1920s was Erwin's strongest decade.
4,480 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 21% of all-time use.
Erwin births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 217
1880s
217 births
- 1890s 404
1890s
404 births
- 1900s 569
1900s
569 births
- 1910s
1910s
3,350 births
- 1920s
1920s
4,480 births
- 1930s
1930s
2,622 births
- 1940s 1,673
1940s
1,673 births
- 1950s 1,759
1950s
1,759 births
- 1960s 1,452
1960s
1,452 births
- 1970s 913
1970s
913 births
- 1980s 989
1980s
989 births
- 1990s 899
1990s
899 births
- 2000s 947
2000s
947 births
- 2010s 619
2010s
619 births
- 2020s 320
2020s
320 births
What this shows Peak: 1920s at 4,480 births (21% of all-time use).
How Erwin compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 boys names closest to Erwin's total volume
Erwin vs 15 similarly-sized boys names
Erwin by state
Where Erwin concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | New York | | 2,148 | 10.1% |
| #2 | California | | 1,879 | 8.9% |
| #3 | Illinois | | 1,482 | 7.0% |
| #4 | Texas | | 1,290 | 6.1% |
| #5 | Michigan | | 1,132 | 5.3% |
| #6 | Wisconsin | | 1,122 | 5.3% |
| #7 | Pennsylvania | | 678 | 3.2% |
| #8 | Minnesota | | 642 | 3.0% |
New York share of Erwin's total US births 10.1%
Even split
2,148 of 21,213 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 44 reporting states.
Erwin appears in 44 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Erwin? ▼
21,213 babies have been named Erwin since 1880. It currently ranks #2421 among boys. The peak year was 1918 with 512 births.
When was Erwin most popular? ▼
Erwin was most popular in the 1920s decade with 4,480 total births. The single peak year was 1918.
Where is Erwin most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Erwin are New York (2,148 births), California (1,879 births), Illinois (1,482 births).
How long has the name Erwin been used? ▼
Records for Erwin go back to 1880, giving 146 years of history through 2025.
What names are similar to Erwin? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Erwan. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.
What to do with Erwin's data
- Erwin's decade-level peak was the 1920s (4,480 total births); usage has since declined to 320 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- New York records the most Erwins (2,148 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. New York names
- Weighing it against an alternative? Put two names side by side. Compare names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Erwin
Nearby Names Like Erwin
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Erwin
Compare Erwin side by side: Erwin vs Erwan
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Erwin
Data Sources
Data as of June 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1880–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Erwin: #2421 Boys' Name - 21,213 Births, Peak 1918." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/erwin. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Erwin draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.