surname attested from 12c., from Old English deorwine, literally "dear friend," probably used as a given name and also the source of the masc. proper name Derwin.
Entries linking to darwin
Darwinian adj.
1794, "of or pertaining to the work or thought of English Enlightenment thinker Erasmus Darwin;" 1860 in reference to his grandson, Charles, the biologist. As a noun, 1808 in reference to Erasmus; 1869 as "one who favors or accepts the theory of species evolution by natural selection proposed by Charles Darwin." See Darwin. Related: Darwinianism.
Darwinism n.
1864, "body of biological doctrine proposed by Charles Darwin," especially "the theory of species evolution by natural selection," from the name of English naturalist Charles Darwin (1809-1882). His major works were "The Origin of Species" (1859) and "The Descent of Man" (1871), + -ism.