Owen
Owen was the 31st most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 7,190 babies. Its best year was 2022, when it ranked 18th; the most babies were born in 2016 (10,305). Over the last ten years it has moved up 5 places. More babies were named Owen in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Meaning Meaning disputed · Welsh, Irish
Say it OH-in /ˈoʊɪn/
- Rank in 2025
- #31 boys, down 9 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 7,190boys
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 201610,305 babies
- Total since 1880
- 246,320babies recorded
What does the name Owen mean?
Owen is an English spelling for two Celtic names: Welsh Owain and Irish Eoghan. Wiktionary lists both sources. Our sources give no agreed meaning for either. DMNES states that the Greek name Eugenius (Eugene, from words for 'well' and 'birth') was adopted into Old Welsh as Ouein or Euguein, and files several medieval Welsh rulers under Eugene. It is also a Welsh surname.
Owain (Welsh, “Owain”)Eoghan (Irish, “Eoghan”)εὖ + γένος (Ancient Greek, “well + birth (Eugene; proposed link)”)
How sure is this? Disputed. Two names. DMNES derives Welsh Owain from Latin Eugenius; the Irish Eoghan has no agreed meaning in our sources.
See also: Welsh names.
Owen popularity since 1880
A few girls are given the name too: 676 since 1915, 33 in 2025.
| Year | Rank (boys) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #31 | 7,190 |
| 2020 | #22 | 8,669 |
| 2010 | #47 | 8,177 |
| 2000 | #145 | 2,715 |
| 1990 | #453 | 480 |
| 1980 | #442 | 351 |
| 1970 | #524 | 238 |
| 1960 | #405 | 386 |
| 1950 | #341 | 389 |
| 1940 | #294 | 363 |
| 1930 | #245 | 513 |
| 1920 | #217 | 598 |
| 1910 | #214 | 118 |
| 1900 | #203 | 93 |
| 1890 | #197 | 68 |
| 1880 | #169 | 78 |
How popular is Owen, counting every spelling?
Owen is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #37 for boys in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #31 for Owen on its own. Together these spellings went to 7,215 boys in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Owen | 7,190 | #31 | 40,163 |
| Owyn | 16 | #5,780 | 127 |
| Owin | 9 | #8,739 | 25 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Owen?
7,190 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Owen (1.99 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Owen born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is about 1 in 27. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 1 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Owen.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Owen?
About 222,800 people born in the US named Owen are alive today, with a median age of 13; half are between 7 and 20. That makes Owen mostly worn by children and young adults.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Owen by state
How common Owen was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Vermont (3.4×), New Hampshire (3.0×), Wyoming (2.9×), Maine (2.8×), Rhode Island (2.5×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in Texas, California, Florida.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Owen: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Owen, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Owen · Sibling names for Owen
Questions about the name Owen
What does Owen mean?
The meaning of Owen is disputed: two names. DMNES derives Welsh Owain from Latin Eugenius; the Irish Eoghan has no agreed meaning in our sources.
How popular is the name Owen?
Owen was the 31st most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 7,190 babies. Its best year was 2022, when it ranked 18th; the most babies were born in 2016 (10,305). Over the last ten years it has moved up 5 places. More babies were named Owen in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Is Owen a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name Owen in the US.
Where is Owen most popular?
In 2021–2025, Owen was most common in Vermont (15.76 per 1,000 boys), followed by New Hampshire and Wyoming.