Usage As A Given or Family Name
As a given name, Erin is used for both sexes, although, given its origins, it is principally used as a feminine forename. It first became a popular given name in the United States. Erin is also a name for Ireland in Welsh, and is one of the 20 most popular girls' names in Wales.
As a family name, Erin has been used as one of the many spellings of the name of the Scottish clan "Irwin" - which was involved in the Scottish Plantations of Ireland. However, their name was originally derived from the place of the same name near Dumfries, and means "green water", from Brittonic ir afon.
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