Baldwin

An Irish surname of Munster. In the 2010 US census it was carried by 80,742 people, the 395th most common surname in the country.

Baldwin is the anglicised form of three distinct Irish names. Some you can hear in the English name; others look and sound nothing like it, and were simply swapped for it.

Bálduing, son of Baldwin. This family stood in Co. Cork.

Báldún, son of Baldon (a diminutive of Baldwin). This family stood in Co. Cork, Co. Dublin, Co. Kilkenny, Co. Waterford, and Co. Wexford.

Ó Maolagáin, descendant of Maolagán (diminutive of maol , bald). This family stood in the barony of Boylagh in Co. Donegal.

Where the name comes from

Báldún is son of Baldon, a diminutive of Baldwin. Families of the name settled soon after the Anglo-Norman invasion in Dublin, Wexford, Kilkenny, Waterford and Cork, and it was written Baldone, Baldoon, Ballon and Baldin along the way. The pronunciation is sometimes Bállún.

One of them left his name on the map. The town of Cobh stands in the townland of Ballyvaloon, called after Baldwin Hodnett, a member of the family who once owned the Great Island.

There is also a Baldwin who was never a Baldwin. Ó Maolagáin is descendant of Maolagán, from maol, bald, and it is the name of a Tirconnell family who were chiefs of Tir MacCarthainn in the east of the barony (an old land division, several parishes across) of Boylagh until they were dispossessed and dispersed at an early period. In Donegal it is said to have been anglicised Baldwin, the form intended as a translation: bald one.

Dramatic view of the Cliffs of Moher on a windy day, Co. Clare, fine art landscape photograph by Peter Cox
Cliffs of Moher, Co. Clare

Munster, photographed

Photographs made in Munster.

Clare

Clare is the Burren: bare limestone pavement where Arctic and Mediterranean plants grow side by side. The Cliffs of Moher are on the coast. Doolin and Miltown Malbay are two of the best-known traditional music towns in the country.

Moonrise, Hag's Head, Cliffs of Moher, Co. ClareMoonrise, Hag's Head, Cliffs of Moher, Co. Clare Co. Clare Aerial view of the Cliffs of Moher at sunset, Co. Clare, fine art aerial photograph by Peter CoxCliffs of Moher, Co. Clare Co. Clare Aerial view of O'Brien's Tower on the Cliffs of Moher bathed in warm sunset light with the Atlantic Ocean reflecting golden huesO'Brien's Tower, Cliffs of Moher, Co. Clare Co. Clare

Cork

Cork is the largest county in Ireland. Three peninsulas run west into the Atlantic: Beara, Sheep's Head and Mizen, with the population thinning the further out you go. My gallery is in Glengarriff at the head of Bantry Bay, so it's the ground I photograph most.

Rugged Atlantic coastline at Allihies, Cork, Ireland, with layered slate cliffs, fine art landscape photograph by Peter CoxAllihies Coast, Cork Co. Cork Sunset over Dun an Oir ruins and sea stacks on Cape Clear Island, Cork, fine art landscape photograph by Peter CoxDún an Óir, Cape Clear Island, Cork Co. Cork The Fastnet Lighthouse standing proud on a calm summer evening off West Cork in black and white panoramic viewThe Fastnet Lighthouse, Co. Cork Co. Cork

Kerry

Carrauntoohil in the MacGillycuddy's Reeks is the highest mountain in Ireland at 1,038 metres. The Dingle and Iveragh peninsulas run west from it, with the Skelligs eight miles off the Iveragh coast. I ran a gallery in Killarney for years.

Moody long exposure of Coumeenoole Beach with Blasket Islands, Dingle, Kerry, fine art landscape photograph by Peter CoxEvening, Coumeenoole Beach, Dingle, Kerry Co. Kerry Long exposure evening light on moss-covered rocks at Coumeenoole Beach, Dingle, Kerry, fine art landscape photograph by Peter CoxEvening II, Coumeenoole Beach, Dingle, Kerry Co. Kerry An Searrach sea stack at night near Dingle, Co. Kerry, Ireland, long exposure fine art photograph by Peter CoxAn Searrach, Dingle, Co. Kerry Co. Kerry

Tipperary

Tipperary is landlocked. The Golden Vale running through it is the best dairy land in Ireland. The Galtees are along the southern border, with Galtymore at 917 metres. The Rock of Cashel is a limestone outcrop with a medieval cathedral and round tower on top of it.

Aerial panoramic view of the Rock of Cashel at sunset, medieval towers glowing on a limestone outcrop in TipperaryThe Rock of Cashel, Tipperary Co. Tipperary Aerial vertical view of the Rock of Cashel at sunset, medieval ruins catching golden light on the Tipperary plainThe Rock of Cashel, Tipperary (vertical) Co. Tipperary

All Clare prints · All Cork prints · All Kerry prints · All Tipperary prints

Notable bearers

Alec Baldwin (born 1958), actor, writer, and director.

James Baldwin (1924-1987), writer, screenwriter, and university teacher.

Stanley Baldwin (1867-1947), politician.

Stephen Baldwin (born 1966), actor, screenwriter, and film director.

Adam Baldwin (born 1962), actor.

I've no photographs of that county. The landscapes below are from elsewhere in its province.

About this page

The counties on this page are where the name was thickest on the ground in Ireland a century and a half ago, not a claim about any one family. Names moved around inside the country as much as they left it. The photographs are mine, made in the counties named.

More Irish surnames: Johnson · Collins · Murphy · Howard · Coleman · Hayes · Mason · Palmer · Warren · Ryan · Lane · Franklin

How common the name was

In 1890, 10 births were registered under Baldwin in Ireland, most of them in Waterford.

Munster 7
Leinster 3
Connacht no figure printed
Ulster no figure printed
Ireland 10