Meaning: Its source is an Old English expression meaning "Dear friend."

Popularity: The name Darwin ranked 917th in popularity for males of all ages in a sample of 2000-2003 Social Security Administration statistics and 583rd in popularity for males of all ages in a sample of the 1990 US Census.

Though this name appears on the 1990 U.S. Census lists, it is used by only a small percentage of the general population.

Narrative: Use of this surname as a first name could be in honor of the naturalist Charles Darwin (1809-1882). Darwin's ideas about the evolution of the species (including humans) caused an uproar, a revolution in thought that continues to this day.

To some, Darwin was and remains the arch blasphemer, the man who envisioned an automatic universe with no place for God. To others, his name is a symbol of free thought and the interconnectedness of all living things. Interestingly, before embarking on his career as a naturalist, Darwin studied to be a clergyman.