Baudouin
BOH-dwin
A French form of Baldwin, carrying the old Germanic sense of a bold friend or prince-friend.
Meaning
Baudouin is the French form of Baldwin, ultimately from Germanic elements often given as meaning “bold” or “brave” plus “friend.” The 1884 excerpt also links it with a princely sense, reflecting old medieval name traditions rather than a modern literal title.
Origin
FrenchGermanicOld High Germanmasculine
Fun fact
It’s the French cognate of Baldwin and appears in medieval and royal history, especially in French- and Belgian-speaking contexts.
Confidence: mixed. Sources: History of Christian Names, A list of Christian names, their derivatives, nicknames and equivalents in several languages.