Rowan
Rowan was the 59th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 5,212 babies. That is its highest rank since records began in 1880. Over the last ten years it has moved up 160 places. More babies were named Rowan in the 2020s than in any other decade.
Meaning little red one (Irish) · Irish, English
Say it ROH-uhn /ˈroʊən/
- Rank in 2025
- #59 boys, up 54 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 5,212boys
- Girls and boys
- 22% girls, 78% boys2021–2025
- Peak year
- 20255,212 babies
- Total since 1880
- 72,853babies recorded
What does the name Rowan mean?
Rowan has two sources. As an Irish name it is the English form of Ruadhán, 'little red one', a diminutive of ruadh, 'red', borne by an early Irish saint; the surname Rowan comes from Ó Ruadháin, 'descendant of Ruadhán'. It is also the name of the rowan tree, the mountain ash, whose name English took from Scandinavian. Wiktionary notes that modern use, for both boys and girls, is often tied to the tree. In the US it is usually said ROH-uhn, though the tree is ROW-uhn (rhyming with 'cow') in parts of Britain.
Ruadhán (Irish, “little red one”)ruadh (Irish, “red”)rowan (English, “mountain ash tree”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Related names: Rowen, Roan, Ruadhán.
See also: Irish names, names that mean tree, names that mean a color.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Rowan', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation); facts restated, no text reused
- Wiktionary, entry 'rowan', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation); facts restated, no text reused
Nicknames for Rowan
The usual nicknames for Rowan are Ro.
| Nickname | Kind | Rank 2025 | Boys, 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ro · also for Roman, Ronan, Rowyn | Modern | — | — |
Nicknames reviewed by our editors; counts are boys given the nickname as their legal first name. Nobody records how many Rowans go by each one.
Rowan popularity since 1880
| Year | Rank (girls) | Rank (boys) | Babies (girls) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #249 | #59 | 1,240 | 5,212 |
| 2020 | #255 | #113 | 1,179 | 3,258 |
| 2010 | #493 | #328 | 608 | 955 |
| 2000 | #1,242 | #972 | 158 | 155 |
| 1990 | #14,718 | #2,419 | 5 | 29 |
| 1980 | #7,974 | #3,800 | 8 | 11 |
| 1970 | — | — | — | — |
| 1960 | — | #4,506 | — | 5 |
| 1950 | — | #2,737 | — | 9 |
| 1940 | — | #3,852 | — | 5 |
| 1930 | — | — | — | — |
| 1920 | — | #4,853 | — | 5 |
| 1910 | — | — | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — | — | — |
How popular is Rowan, counting every spelling?
Rowan is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #56 for boys in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #59 for Rowan on its own. Together these spellings went to 5,853 boys in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rowan | 5,212 | #59 | 21,505 |
| Rowen | 617 | #488 | 3,052 |
| Rowin | 17 | #5,569 | 77 |
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 Rowan?
5,212 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Rowan (1.45 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Rowan 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 37. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 2 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Rowan.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Rowan?
About 50,000 people born in the US named Rowan are alive today, with a median age of 7; half are between 3 and 11. That makes Rowan a young name: most people with it are children.
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.
Rowan by state
How common Rowan was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Wyoming (4.1×), Vermont (3.7×), Maine (3.0×), Alaska (2.9×), New Hampshire (2.8×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in New Jersey, Texas, California.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Rowan: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Rowan, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Rowan · Sibling names for Rowan
Questions about the name Rowan
What does Rowan mean?
Rowan means “little red one (Irish)” (Irish, English origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Rowan?
Rowan was the 59th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 5,212 babies. That is its highest rank since records began in 1880. Over the last ten years it has moved up 160 places. More babies were named Rowan in the 2020s than in any other decade.
Is Rowan a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, 22% girls, 78% boys given the name Rowan in the US.
Where is Rowan most popular?
In 2021–2025, Rowan was most common in Wyoming (10.20 per 1,000 boys), followed by Vermont and Maine.