Corwin
An English surname of uncertain origin, probably from a place-name or an older personal name.
The #5,083 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 44,830 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The surname Corwin is best treated as of uncertain origin. Older surname dictionaries mention it alongside other English names, but the surviving excerpts here do not give a full derivation. In general, Corwin is often explained as coming either from a now-lost or reduced place-name, or from an older personal name that began with Cor- or Cur- and later developed into the modern spelling.
History
The name is found in English and later American records, with the spelling Corwin becoming established in the English-speaking world. In the United States it is especially familiar through family lines that have kept the spelling stable over several generations. Because the historical evidence is sparse and the name may have more than one source, its early history is not fully settled.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Corwin is a good example of a surname that looks straightforward but resists a single secure explanation in the older reference books.
From the historical record
“and CoRMicK, Corman, Cormerais, Cormier, Cornell, CoRNEY, Cornish, Corrao, Corrigan, Corson, Cor- thell, Corwin ; Cosgrave, Cosgriff, and Cosgrove ; * Harvard College held a large tract of marsh-land, in Suflfolk County, for a hundred and fifty years under the will of Mr. Coggan.”
— Suffolk Surnames (3rd ed.)