Rowen
Rowen was the 488th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 617 babies. Its best year was 2024, when it ranked 445th with 709 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved up 160 places. More babies were named Rowen in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Meaning (as Rowan) little red one (Irish) · Irish, English
- Rank in 2025
- #488 boys, up 53 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 617boys
- Girls and boys
- 22% girls, 78% boys2021–2025
- Peak year
- 2024709 babies
- Total since 1880
- 10,816babies recorded
What does the name Rowen mean?
Rowen is a spelling of Rowan, pronounced the same way, so it shares Rowan's meaning and origin.
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
Rowen popularity since 1880
| Year | Rank (girls) | Rank (boys) | Babies (girls) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #1,411 | #488 | 155 | 617 |
| 2020 | #1,499 | #541 | 143 | 524 |
| 2010 | #2,864 | #992 | 61 | 199 |
| 2000 | #11,562 | #4,176 | 8 | 19 |
| 1990 | — | #9,243 | — | 5 |
| 1980 | — | — | — | — |
| 1970 | — | — | — | — |
| 1960 | — | — | — | — |
| 1950 | — | — | — | — |
| 1940 | — | — | — | — |
| 1930 | — | — | — | — |
| 1920 | — | — | — | — |
| 1910 | — | — | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — | — | — |
How popular is Rowen, counting every spelling?
Rowen is a spelling of Rowan, a name family that ranked #56 for boys in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #488 for Rowen 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 Rowen?
617 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Rowen (0.17 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Rowen born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 14 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Rowen.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Rowen?
About 8,100 people born in the US named Rowen are alive today, with a median age of 7; half are between 4 and 12. That makes Rowen 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.
Rowen by state
How common Rowen was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Idaho (3.0×), Nebraska (2.3×), Louisiana (2.1×), West Virginia (2.1×), Kansas (2.1×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in Nevada, New Mexico, Connecticut.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Rowen: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Rowen, they share its era and feel.
Questions about the name Rowen
What does Rowen mean?
Rowen is a spelling of Rowan, which means “little red one (Irish)” (Irish, English origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Rowen?
Rowen was the 488th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 617 babies. Its best year was 2024, when it ranked 445th with 709 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved up 160 places. More babies were named Rowen in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Is Rowen a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, 22% girls, 78% boys given the name Rowen in the US.
Where is Rowen most popular?
In 2021–2025, Rowen was most common in Idaho (1.07 per 1,000 boys), followed by Nebraska and Maine.