Baldwin
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Baldwin Genealogy
Baldwin comes from the Germanic and Old English beald and wine, meaning "bold friend." The name appeared initially in various spellings, Bawdewyn, Bawdwin, Baldwyn, Baldwen, and Baldwin. Baldwins were named as Earls of Flanders in the ninth century during the time of Alfred the Great.
The name Baldwin became extremely popular among the Normans and in Flanders. It was the personal name of the Crusader who became the first Christian king of Jerusalem in 1100 and of four more Crusader kings there. It was also born by Baldwin, the Count of Flanders and leader of the fourth crusade. Baldwin appeared in England in the early Middle Ages both as a first name and as a surname.
England. One Baldwin family in Buckinghamshire traces itself back to William and Jane Baldwin in Aylesbury in the 15th century. A descendant was Sir John Baldwin, Chief Justice of the Common Pleas in England during the reign of Henry VIII. These Baldwins held Dundridge manor near Cholesbury for many generations.
However, earlier sightings of the Baldwin name were in Shropshire and Staffordshire. Baldwin de Boulers came to England from Flanders in 1105. His family became the Bowdlers in Shropshire. Another Baldwin family in Shropshire may have started with Bawdewyn, a Norman on the roll of Battle Abbey. Their Shropshire home was Dodebury. Among their number was William Baldwin, a Protestant man of letters in Elizabethan times. The family changed its name to Childe in the 18th century. In Staffordshire, William Baldwin was recorded as the park keeper of Madeley deer park in 1293. He is thought to have given his name to Baldwin's Gate, now a hamlet in Newcastle-under-Lyme.
At the beginning of the 19th century, a Baldwin family had moved from Shropshire to Worcestershire and set up the Wilden ironworks at Stourport. From this family came Stanley Baldwin, the British Prime Minister in the 1920's and 1930's. By the end of the 19th century, the largest number of Baldwins in England was to be found in Lancashire and Yorkshire.
Ireland. There have been Baldwins in Ireland in Cork and Donegal. The Baldwin name in Cork dates from English arrivals in Elzabethan times. William Baldwin left Cork for Canada in 1798 (his family became prominent in early Canada and his son Robert was one of its earliest politicians). Other Baldwins from Cork emigrated to Australia and New Zealand.
America. Most of the early Baldwins in America, as traced by Charles Baldwin in his 1889 book Baldwin Genealogy: 1500-1881, came from Buckinghamshire. The first departure appears to have been Sylvester Baldwin and his family who set sail for New England on the Martin in 1638. Although Sylvester did not survive the journey, other Baldwins from Buckinghamshire arrived, including Joseph and his wife Hannah (whose descendants in America now number over 3,000).
They settled in the newly established New Haven colony on land adjacent to present-day Milford, Connecticut.
The Baldwins, together with the Evarts, Hoars and Shermans, became a politically important family in Connecticut over the 18th and 19th centuries. The Baldwins were Governors of Connecticut when it was a colony and when it was a state (culminating in Simeon Eben Baldwin in 1911). Abraham Baldwin, the son of a self-taught blacksmith, headed south in the 1780's and was a founding father for the state of Georgia. Typically these Baldwins went to Yale University and then became lawyers and politicians.
There were Baldwin immigrants into Virginia in the late 17th century and a number of Baldwin Quakers who sought sanctuary in Penn's Pennsylvania. John and William Baldwin from Pendle in Lancashire arrived in Bucks county in 1700. Their descendants are to be found in the Midwest. Jesse Baldwin was an early settler in Waynesville, Ohio. Other Baldwin Quaker families ended up in Virginia, Indiana and Wisconsin. Lydia Baldwin, an early Quaker settler in Grant county Indiana, wrote her reminiscences of pioneer life in 1897.
Select Baldwin Miscellany
Select Baldwin Names
John Baldwin was the judge in the trials of Sir Thomas More and Anne Boleyn during the reign of Henry VIII.
William Baldwin was a Protestant man of letters in Elizabethan times.
Roger Baldwin established a national reputation for his anti-slavery defense of slaves in the Amistad case in 1840 and then became Governor of Connecticut.
Stanley Baldwin was three times Prime Minister of Britain during the 1920's and 1930's.
James Baldwin was the African American writer who came to national prominence in the 1960's.
Alec Baldwin is an American actor.
Select Baldwins Today
Select Index of Names
The Origin/Spread of Surnames
Baldwin comes from the Germanic and Old English beald and wine, meaning "bold friend." The name appeared initially in various spellings, Bawdewyn, Bawdwin, Baldwyn, Baldwen, and Baldwin. Baldwins were named as Earls of Flanders in the ninth century during the time of Alfred the Great.
The name Baldwin became extremely popular among the Normans and in Flanders. It was the personal name of the Crusader who became the first Christian king of Jerusalem in 1100 and of four more Crusader kings there. It was also born by Baldwin, the Count of Flanders and leader of the fourth crusade. Baldwin appeared in England in the early Middle Ages both as a first name and as a surname.
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Baldwin Resources on
The
Internet
- History of the Baldwin Surname. Baldwin name history by Charles Baldwin.
- The Baldwin Family and Wilden. Baldwin forebears of Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin.
- Baldwin History. Baldwins from England to America.
England. One Baldwin family in Buckinghamshire traces itself back to William and Jane Baldwin in Aylesbury in the 15th century. A descendant was Sir John Baldwin, Chief Justice of the Common Pleas in England during the reign of Henry VIII. These Baldwins held Dundridge manor near Cholesbury for many generations.
However, earlier sightings of the Baldwin name were in Shropshire and Staffordshire. Baldwin de Boulers came to England from Flanders in 1105. His family became the Bowdlers in Shropshire. Another Baldwin family in Shropshire may have started with Bawdewyn, a Norman on the roll of Battle Abbey. Their Shropshire home was Dodebury. Among their number was William Baldwin, a Protestant man of letters in Elizabethan times. The family changed its name to Childe in the 18th century. In Staffordshire, William Baldwin was recorded as the park keeper of Madeley deer park in 1293. He is thought to have given his name to Baldwin's Gate, now a hamlet in Newcastle-under-Lyme.
At the beginning of the 19th century, a Baldwin family had moved from Shropshire to Worcestershire and set up the Wilden ironworks at Stourport. From this family came Stanley Baldwin, the British Prime Minister in the 1920's and 1930's. By the end of the 19th century, the largest number of Baldwins in England was to be found in Lancashire and Yorkshire.
Ireland. There have been Baldwins in Ireland in Cork and Donegal. The Baldwin name in Cork dates from English arrivals in Elzabethan times. William Baldwin left Cork for Canada in 1798 (his family became prominent in early Canada and his son Robert was one of its earliest politicians). Other Baldwins from Cork emigrated to Australia and New Zealand.
America. Most of the early Baldwins in America, as traced by Charles Baldwin in his 1889 book Baldwin Genealogy: 1500-1881, came from Buckinghamshire. The first departure appears to have been Sylvester Baldwin and his family who set sail for New England on the Martin in 1638. Although Sylvester did not survive the journey, other Baldwins from Buckinghamshire arrived, including Joseph and his wife Hannah (whose descendants in America now number over 3,000).
They settled in the newly established New Haven colony on land adjacent to present-day Milford, Connecticut.
"At the first town meeting on November
20 1639, Joseph Baldwin and 43
other church members were granted the
franchise as 'free planters.' The following summer, roads were
laid along the bank of the river and 41 plots of about three acres each
were staked out."
The Baldwins, together with the Evarts, Hoars and Shermans, became a politically important family in Connecticut over the 18th and 19th centuries. The Baldwins were Governors of Connecticut when it was a colony and when it was a state (culminating in Simeon Eben Baldwin in 1911). Abraham Baldwin, the son of a self-taught blacksmith, headed south in the 1780's and was a founding father for the state of Georgia. Typically these Baldwins went to Yale University and then became lawyers and politicians.
There were Baldwin immigrants into Virginia in the late 17th century and a number of Baldwin Quakers who sought sanctuary in Penn's Pennsylvania. John and William Baldwin from Pendle in Lancashire arrived in Bucks county in 1700. Their descendants are to be found in the Midwest. Jesse Baldwin was an early settler in Waynesville, Ohio. Other Baldwin Quaker families ended up in Virginia, Indiana and Wisconsin. Lydia Baldwin, an early Quaker settler in Grant county Indiana, wrote her reminiscences of pioneer life in 1897.
Select Baldwin Miscellany
If you would like to read more, click on the miscellany page for
further stories and accounts:
Select Baldwin Names
John Baldwin was the judge in the trials of Sir Thomas More and Anne Boleyn during the reign of Henry VIII.
William Baldwin was a Protestant man of letters in Elizabethan times.
Roger Baldwin established a national reputation for his anti-slavery defense of slaves in the Amistad case in 1840 and then became Governor of Connecticut.
Stanley Baldwin was three times Prime Minister of Britain during the 1920's and 1930's.
James Baldwin was the African American writer who came to national prominence in the 1960's.
Alec Baldwin is an American actor.
Select Baldwins Today
- 23,000 in the UK (most numerous in Yorkshire)
- 25,000 in America (most numerous in California)
- 14,000 elsewhere (most numerous in Canada)
Select Index of Names
The Origin/Spread of Surnames