Every Boy Name

Boy's name

Owen

Say it OH-in 2 syllables

English

Loved in British Columbia. Common in France, the Netherlands, Ontario, and 2 more places. Rare across the UK, Italy, Poland, and 14 more places.

1 in 418 boys born in Scotland in 2025. Number 107 there.

Owen in every place

Rank, count and share in all 40 places: loved in 1, common in 5, rare in 19.
Owen in every place we hold figures for
Place Rankyear Boysshare 5 years earlier
British Isles
England and Wales170 (down)20252981 in 9131322020
Scotland107 (down)2025471 in 418762020
Northern Ireland175 (up)2025121 in 6901862020
Ireland317 (down)2025131 in 1,8252112020
North America
Ontario (province)18 (down)2024361about 1 in 166122019
Quebec (province)96 (down)202573about 1 in 398872020
British Columbia (province)9 (up)2023119about 1 in 109112018
Nova Scotia (province)Not in the published top 21202592020
Oceania
New South Wales (state)Not in the published top 1002025742020
Victoria (state)Not in the published top 1012025792020
Queensland (state)81 (down)202575552020
South Australia (state)Not in the published top 1002025582020
New ZealandNot in the published top 1002025Not listed2020
Western Europe
France72 (down)20258351 in 363662020
Netherlands33 (up)2025325about 1 in 205492020
Central Europe
Austria594 (up)202571 in 5,4381,7512020
Switzerland241 (up)2025331 in 1,0913332020
Berlin (city)617 (up)20234about 1 in 3,8786762018
Munich (city)Rare: below the complete list2025Not listed2020
Cologne (city)659 (new in the list)20231about 1 in 6,378Not listed2018
Bonn (city)397 (new in the list)20251about 1 in 3,170Not listed2020
Leipzig (city)Rare: below the complete list2025Not listed2020
Rostock (city)Rare: below the complete list2025Not listed2020
Nordic countries
NorwayRare: below the complete list2025Not listed2020
Sweden834 (new in the list)20255about 1 in 8,626Not listed2020
DenmarkNot in the published top 502025Not listed2020
FinlandNot in the published top 502025No list2020
IcelandNot in the published top 102025No list2020
Southern Europe
SpainNot in the published top 1002024Not listed2019
Catalonia (region)544 (down)202551 in 4,1413912020
Italy598 (new in the list)2024161 in 11,835Not listed2019
Central and Eastern Europe
PolandRare: below the complete list2025Not listed2020
HungaryNot in the published top 1002025Not listed2020
SloveniaRare: below the complete list2025Not listed2020
EstoniaNot in the published top 272025Not listed2020
Moscow (city)Not in the published top 612025Not listed2020
CroatiaNot in the published top 502025No list2020
Middle East
TurkeyNot in the published top 302025Not listed2020
IsraelRare: below the complete list2024Not listed2019
Latin America
ArgentinaNot in the published top 202024Not listed2019

Germany publishes no national list; the German rows are city registers. About: the publisher leaves out its smallest names, so the share is approximate. ▲ and ▼ compare the rank with five years earlier. Not listed five years earlier: not in that year’s list. No list: the place published no list that year. How these figures are computed.

About the name

Owen has more than one origin, and its history runs along several lines at once. It is used in English alongside its close relatives Owain and Eoin, which share much of its sound.

2 more paragraphs

It has two syllables, OH-in, and a soft, gentle sound, opening on a round vowel. Related names include Eoin, Owain and Rowen, so the name comes in several spellings with the same easy feel.

Owen is popular in British Columbia and Ontario and appears in the lists for Queensland and the Netherlands, but it is most common in France. In Canada it peaked in the mid-2000s, and it is now falling in more places than it is rising, though it remains a familiar, well-liked name.

Meaning, origin and how to say it

Say it
OH-in · 2 syllables · Stress on beat 1 of 2.
Meaning
No sourced meaning. We print a meaning only when a dictionary gives one.
Origin
English
Spellings counted
Counted together with Owen here: OWEN.
Related names
Eoin, Rowen, Owain

Owen over time

Rising in 2 of the 12 regions we can compare over five years, falling in 6. Peak in Ontario and British Columbia: 2004.

Rank in England and Wales, 1996 to 2025

Owen in England and Wales: #100 in 1996, a peak of #31 in 2002, and #170 in 2025.

#1#10#50#100#300200020052010201520202025Top 101996: #100, 536 boys1997: #74, 813 boys1998: #40, 1,896 boys1999: #35, 2,201 boys2000: #47, 1,497 boys2001: #37, 1,897 boys2002: #31, 2,349 boys2003: #33, 2,282 boys2004: #35, 2,232 boys2005: #36, 2,013 boys2006: #34, 1,965 boys2007: #45, 1,677 boys2008: #48, 1,607 boys2009: #47, 1,630 boys2010: #59, 1,238 boys2011: #71, 943 boys2012: #78, 839 boys2013: #85, 708 boys2014: #92, 663 boys2015: #101, 621 boys2016: #113, 586 boys2017: #121, 489 boys2018: #118, 506 boys2019: #124, 455 boys2020: #132, 418 boys2021: #149, 384 boys2022: #145, 367 boys2023: #140, 373 boys2024: #155, 332 boys2025: #170, 298 boys#100 in 1996peak #31, 2002#170in 2025
Show the numbers
YearRankBoys
1996100536
199774813
1998401,896
1999352,201
2000471,497
2001371,897
2002312,349
2003332,282
2004352,232
2005362,013
2006341,965
2007451,677
2008481,607
2009471,630
2010591,238
201171943
201278839
201385708
201492663
2015101621
2016113586
2017121489
2018118506
2019124455
2020132418
2021149384
2022145367
2023140373
2024155332
2025170298

Source: Office for National Statistics (OGL v3)

The long view: in Ontario and British Columbia

Half of the boys named Owen in Ontario and British Columbia since 1925 were born in or after 2008. Peak: 2004, about 1,327 per 100,000 boys. Babies per 100,000 boys, five-year periods.

1925-1929: 44.9 per 100,000 boys1930-1934: 29 per 100,000 boys1935-1939: 26.6 per 100,000 boys1940-1944: 22.9 per 100,000 boys19401945-1949: 21.5 per 100,000 boys1950-1954: 32.7 per 100,000 boys1955-1959: 34.3 per 100,000 boys1960-1964: 33.8 per 100,000 boys19601965-1969: 37.7 per 100,000 boys1970-1974: 59.5 per 100,000 boys1975-1979: 60 per 100,000 boys1980-1984: 71.8 per 100,000 boys19801985-1989: 71.2 per 100,000 boys1990-1994: 82.4 per 100,000 boys1995-1999: 321.7 per 100,000 boys2000-2004: 918.2 per 100,000 boys20002005-2009: 1,157.8 per 100,000 boys2010-2014: 974.2 per 100,000 boys2015-2019: 871.2 per 100,000 boys2020-2024: 755.7 per 100,000 boys20202005-2009: about 1 in 86 boys
Show the numbers
YearsPer 100,000 boys
1925–192944.9
1930–193429
1935–193926.6
1940–194422.9
1945–194921.5
1950–195432.7
1955–195934.3
1960–196433.8
1965–196937.7
1970–197459.5
1975–197960
1980–198471.8
1985–198971.2
1990–199482.4
1995–1999321.7
2000–2004918.2
2005–20091,157.8
2010–2014974.2
2015–2019871.2
2020–2024755.7

Source: Ontario Office of the Registrar General (Ontario Data Catalogue) (OGL-Ontario); BC Vital Statistics Agency (BC Data Catalogue) (OGL-BC). Dark bar: the period holding the median birth year.

Brothers and middle names for Owen

Brother names

Names that rose and fell with Owen, from the same generation, with no clashing sounds.

  1. 1 in 731, England and Wales

  2. 1 in 574, England and Wales

  3. 1 in 162, Northern Ireland

  4. 1 in 913, England and Wales

  5. 1 in 949, Ireland

  6. 1 in 255, Scotland

  7. 1 in 128, Ireland

  8. 1 in 312, Ireland

  9. 1 in 177, Scotland

  10. 1 in 164, England and Wales

All 40 brother names for Owen

Middle names

Scored for rhythm against Owen's 2 syllables and for long, steady use.

  1. 1 in 50, Ireland

  2. 1 in 86, England and Wales

  3. 1 in 61, Northern Ireland

  4. 1 in 103, England and Wales

  5. 1 in 130, Scotland

  6. 1 in 62, Poland

  7. 1 in 88, England and Wales

  8. 1 in 137, Scotland

Full-name check

Owen Jack

Syllables 2-1Initials O.J.No sound clashes between the parts.

All 40 middle names for Owen

Sisters for Owen: Summer, Ruby, Madison, and 5 more
  1. SummerRose and fell with Owen · Same generation as Owen
  2. RubyRose and fell with Owen · Same generation as Owen
  3. MadisonRose and fell with Owen · Same generation as Owen
  4. SavannahRose and fell with Owen · Same generation as Owen
  5. ScarlettRose and fell with Owen · As common as Owen
  6. IvyRose and fell with Owen · Same generation as Owen
  7. HopeRose and fell with Owen · Same generation as Owen
  8. GraceRose and fell with Owen · Same generation as Owen

Girls' names from the same engine, over the girls' lists of the same publishers.

Moved with Owen

The boy names whose popularity rose and fell most like Owen's across every region and decade we hold.

  1. Rare in France, England and Wales, Italy, and 16 more places.

  2. Rare in France, Italy, Poland, and 15 more places.

  3. Common across France, the UK, Italy, and 9 more places.

  4. Common across France, the UK, three Canadian provinces, and 8 more places.

  5. Rare in all 24 places we hold figures for.

  6. Rare in France, England and Wales, Italy, and 15 more places.

  7. Rare in France, England and Wales, Italy, and 16 more places.

  8. Rare in Poland, Israel, Sweden, and 11 more places.

Famous people named Owen

Owen Richardson, Owen Wilson, and 6 more

From Wikidata, ranked by how many Wikipedia language editions have an article on them. People: Wikidata (CC0). Links go to Wikipedia in this page's language when an article exists, else English.

Questions about Owen

How popular is Owen in British Columbia?

Owen ranked #9 in British Columbia in 2023, given to 119 boys, about 1 in 109.

Is Owen rising in popularity?

Not overall: it is falling in more places than it is rising. Rising in 2 of the 12 regions we can compare over five years, falling in 6. Rising in: Switzerland and Netherlands.

How many syllables does Owen have?

Owen has 2 syllables: OH-in.

Every rank and count on this page comes from an official birth register. How these figures are computed.

Meanings, origins and people: Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0), Wikidata (CC0).

The 42 birth registers behind these figures

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Kept names collect here.

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