It is believed to have either originated from Old English or Old Gaelic, referring to its water-related meanings, or from the German language, where it signifies "friend of the army.
"[2] The Persian variant of the name is Arvin (آروین), and it means "tested and experienced.
"[3] In German, it is typically written as Erwin, but in many other European nations where the name is popular—namely Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Estonia, Hungary, and Romania—it is written as Ervin.
[4] Ervin's popularity in Eastern European nations may be attributed to the influence of the Austro-Hungarian Empire on linguistic and naming conventions.
In the Balkans, particularly in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Croatia,[6] the name is popular.