Erwin is a name of German origin, derived from the Old High German name Erenfried, which is composed of the elements "eri" meaning "eagle" and "fridu" meaning "peace". Therefore, Erwin translates to "noble peace". The name has been used in various forms throughout history, with notable individuals bearing this name including Erwin Schrödinger, an Austrian physicist who won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1933 for his work on wave equation, and Erwin Rommel, a German field marshal during World War II. Despite its historical associations, Erwin remains a unique and intriguing choice for a personal name today.
The name Erwin experienced significant fluctuations in popularity over the years. From a low of just 16 births in 1880, it peaked at an impressive 540 births in 1917 and again at 540 births in 1918 during World War I. However, post-war years saw a substantial decline, with the number of births naming Erwin dropping to as low as 46 in 2017 and 54 in 2023. Overall, there were a total of 21,096 births named Erwin from 1880 to 2023.