The name Aylwin
Although many surnames claim old English status, the name Aylwin is in its origins, genuinely traditional Old English and became a Saxon surname. Pre-dating written English history the name Aylwin is thought to have survived from the time of the Ancient Britons, well before the invasion of the first Romans.
Very few people had surnames prior to c.1250 and the oldest derivative of Aylwin is Aelfwine, one of the earliest of all baptismal names which although translated generally as "Noble friend", there are other older translations showing the name as also meaning "elf or magical being, magical friend", 'Elvin' being one of the modern surnames derived from it. Other surname derivatives were Aylwin, Alwen, Ailwyn, Alywen, Aylin, Allwyn, Alvin, Alven, Elwyn, and many many others.
In 1066, with the arrival of the Normans many people chose to adopt Norman names. In the wilder, remoter, regions of England the name clung on, probably to show that people still regarded themselves as Saxons. The Domeday Book of 1086 shows it as a given name only, with examples as Aelfwine & Alwin
During the reign of King Richard I, Hugo Elfwin is shown in the Hereford 'Pipe Rolls' for 1193, this being the first known recorded spelling of this family name. Today the name is occasionally used as a christian name, most usually in the USA. There is also a tendancy for information on the names Aylwin and Ayling to be mistakenly intermingled. There are references though of Aylwins and Aylings marrying.