Every Boy Name

Boy's name

Rowan

Say it ROH-un 2 syllables

Irish · “little red one”

Common across the UK, three Canadian provinces, Ireland, and New Zealand. Rare in France, Italy, Poland, and 15 more places.

1 in 195 boys born in England and Wales in 2025. Number 30 there.

Rowan in every place

Rank, count and share in all 40 places: loved in 0, common in 8, rare in 18.
Rowan in every place we hold figures for
Place Rankyear Boysshare 5 years earlier
British Isles
England and Wales30 (up)20251,3981 in 195712020
Scotland47 (up)2025941 in 2091222020
Northern Ireland30 (up)2025561 in 1481002020
Ireland76 (up)2025781 in 3041322020
North America
Ontario (province)52 (up)2024203about 1 in 295822019
Quebec (province)312 (new in the list)202515about 1 in 1,937Not listed2020
British Columbia (province)37 (up)202362about 1 in 210782018
Nova Scotia (province)16 (new in the list)202520Not listed2020
Oceania
New South Wales (state)Not in the published top 1002025Not listed2020
Victoria (state)Not in the published top 1012025Not listed2020
Queensland (state)Not in the published top 1012025Not listed2020
South Australia (state)Not in the published top 1002025Not listed2020
New Zealand88 (new in the list)202548Not listed2020
Western Europe
France998 (up)2025351 in 8,6481,2932020
Netherlands308 (down)202552about 1 in 1,2792702020
Central Europe
Austria1,241 (new in the list)202521 in 19,034Not listed2020
Switzerland1,287 (up)202541 in 9,0001,8762020
Berlin (city)950 (new in the list)20232about 1 in 7,755Not listed2018
Munich (city)Rare: below the complete list2025Not listed2020
Cologne (city)Rare: below the complete list2023Not listed2018
Bonn (city)Rare: below the complete list20253812020
Leipzig (city)Rare: below the complete list2025Not listed2020
Rostock (city)Rare: below the complete list2025Not listed2020
Nordic countries
NorwayRare: below the complete list2025Not listed2020
SwedenRare: below the complete list2025Not 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)Rare: below the complete list2025Not listed2020
Italy4,915 (new in the list)202411 in 189,358Not 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

The Irish saints' name Ruadhán, 'little red one', gives Rowan in anglicised form. It can also come from the surname Ó Ruadháin, 'descendant of Ruadhán'.

2 more paragraphs

With two syllables, ROH-un, it has a soft, natural sound. Rowen is the main alternative spelling.

Rowan is popular in England and Wales and Northern Ireland and holds a place in British Columbia. It is used for girls as well as boys, with about a fifth of its bearers being girls. It is rare on the Continent. Canadian records show it arriving in the 1980s and peaking only recently, and it is rising in several places and falling in none.

Meaning, origin and how to say it

Say it
ROH-un · 2 syllables · Stress on beat 1 of 2.
Meaning
“little red one”
Origin
Irish and English
Related names
Rowen
Also a girl's name
Across the regions we track, 21% of babies named Rowan are girls.
Where Rowan comes from (Wiktionary)

Anglicised from the Irish saints' name Ruadhán (“little red one”), or as a surname from Ó Ruadháin (“descendant of Ruadhán”).

Shortened from the Wiktionary entry for Rowan. Text available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Rowan over time

Rising in 7 of the 9 regions we can compare over five years, falling in 0. Peak in Ontario and British Columbia: 2022.

Rank in England and Wales, 1996 to 2025

Rowan in England and Wales: #188 in 1996, rising to a peak of #30 in 2025.

#1#10#50#100#300200020052010201520202025Top 101996: #188, 172 boys1997: #181, 180 boys1998: #155, 224 boys1999: #147, 237 boys2000: #169, 209 boys2001: #170, 210 boys2002: #177, 205 boys2003: #163, 257 boys2004: #155, 293 boys2005: #147, 322 boys2006: #150, 329 boys2007: #143, 374 boys2008: #149, 366 boys2009: #155, 357 boys2010: #142, 423 boys2011: #135, 473 boys2012: #137, 449 boys2013: #123, 494 boys2014: #127, 502 boys2015: #111, 572 boys2016: #105, 619 boys2017: #103, 626 boys2018: #89, 708 boys2019: #82, 734 boys2020: #71, 774 boys2021: #63, 938 boys2022: #61, 985 boys2023: #51, 1,093 boys2024: #41, 1,246 boys2025: #30, 1,398 boys#188 in 1996#30in 2025
Show the numbers
YearRankBoys
1996188172
1997181180
1998155224
1999147237
2000169209
2001170210
2002177205
2003163257
2004155293
2005147322
2006150329
2007143374
2008149366
2009155357
2010142423
2011135473
2012137449
2013123494
2014127502
2015111572
2016105619
2017103626
201889708
201982734
202071774
202163938
202261985
2023511,093
2024411,246
2025301,398

Source: Office for National Statistics (OGL v3)

The long view: in Ontario and British Columbia

Half of the boys named Rowan in Ontario and British Columbia since 1925 were born in or after 2016. Peak: 2022, about 362 per 100,000 boys. Babies per 100,000 boys, five-year periods.

1925-1929: 0 per 100,000 boys1930-1934: 0 per 100,000 boys1935-1939: 0 per 100,000 boys1940-1944: 0 per 100,000 boys19401945-1949: 0 per 100,000 boys1950-1954: 0 per 100,000 boys1955-1959: 0 per 100,000 boys1960-1964: 0 per 100,000 boys19601965-1969: 0 per 100,000 boys1970-1974: 0 per 100,000 boys1975-1979: 0 per 100,000 boys1980-1984: 1.8 per 100,000 boys19801985-1989: 0 per 100,000 boys1990-1994: 11.6 per 100,000 boys1995-1999: 36.8 per 100,000 boys2000-2004: 76.3 per 100,000 boys20002005-2009: 155.3 per 100,000 boys2010-2014: 167.2 per 100,000 boys2015-2019: 261.6 per 100,000 boys2020-2024: 321.7 per 100,000 boys20202020-2024: about 1 in 311 boys
Show the numbers
YearsPer 100,000 boys
1925–19290
1930–19340
1935–19390
1940–19440
1945–19490
1950–19540
1955–19590
1960–19640
1965–19690
1970–19740
1975–19790
1980–19841.8
1985–19890
1990–199411.6
1995–199936.8
2000–200476.3
2005–2009155.3
2010–2014167.2
2015–2019261.6
2020–2024321.7

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 Rowan

Brother names

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

  1. 1 in 281, Scotland

  2. 1 in 574, England and Wales

  3. 1 in 339, Scotland

  4. 1 in 928, England and Wales

  5. 1 in 269, Scotland

  6. 1 in 157, England and Wales

  7. 1 in 82, Northern Ireland

  8. 1 in 1,380, Northern Ireland

  9. 1 in 267, Northern Ireland

  10. 1 in 467, England and Wales

All 40 brother names for Rowan

Middle names

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

  1. 1 in 86, England and Wales

  2. 1 in 50, Ireland

  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

Rowan Oliver

Syllables 2-3Initials R.O.No sound clashes between the parts.

All 40 middle names for Rowan

Sisters for Rowan: Quinn, Maeve, Callie, and 5 more
  1. QuinnRose and fell with Rowan · Same generation as Rowan
  2. MaeveRose and fell with Rowan · Same generation as Rowan
  3. CallieRose and fell with Rowan · Same generation as Rowan
  4. GracieRose and fell with Rowan · Same generation as Rowan
  5. MyaRose and fell with Rowan · Same generation as Rowan
  6. AutumnRose and fell with Rowan · Same generation as Rowan
  7. JosieRose and fell with Rowan · Same generation as Rowan
  8. AnyaRose and fell with Rowan · Same generation as Rowan

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

Moved with Rowan

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

  1. Rare across France, the UK, Italy, and 18 more places.

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

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

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

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

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

  7. Rare across the UK, Italy, Poland, and 16 more places.

  8. Rare across France, the UK, Italy, and 18 more places.

Famous people named Rowan

Rowan Atkinson and Rowan Williams

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 Rowan

How popular is Rowan in England and Wales?

Rowan ranked #30 in England and Wales in 2025, given to 1,398 boys, about 1 in 195.

Is Rowan rising in popularity?

Yes, in most of the places we can check. Rising in 7 of the 9 regions we can compare over five years, falling in 0. Rising in: Northern Ireland, Scotland, England and Wales, Ireland, British Columbia, and 2 other regions.

What does Rowan mean?

Rowan means “little red one”, according to Wiktionary.

How many syllables does Rowan have?

Rowan has 2 syllables: ROH-un.

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

0kept

Kept names collect here.

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