Menu

Rowan

Heart
Scottish and Irish
"rowan tree; little redhead"

Rowan Origin and Meaning

The name Rowan is a girl's name of Scottish, Irish origin meaning "rowan tree; little redhead".

Rowan is the name of a tree with red berries that's commonly found in Scotland (and said to ward off witches). Some scholars say this name has been used for girls as well as boys since the Middle Ages, though no Rowans are found outside literature until modern times. It's also a genial Irish surname choice, especially for a redhead – girl or boy.

In the U.S., Rowan was almost unheard of as a girls’ name before Brooke Shields chose it for her daughter in 2003 – the year that it entered the Top 1000. Now popular for both sexes, there's about one girl named Rowan for every two boys.

Rowan Mayfair is a powerful witch in the Anne Rice novel The Witching Hour.

# 276 in the US

Rowan Rank in US Top 1000

# 432 on Nameberry

Rowan Rank in Nameberry Top 1000

Rowan Popularity

20 Names Similar to Rowan

These 20 names were selected by our users that were looking for other names like Rowan.

Famous People Named Rowan

  • Rowan Eleanor BlanchardAmerican child actress and activist
  • Rowan Reid (b. 1992)daughter of actress Margi Clarke and artist Jamie Reid
  • Rowan Francis Henchy (b. 2001)daughter of actress Brooke Shields
  • Rowan Grey Nesser (b. 2009)daughter of skateboarder Steve Nesser
  • Rowan Louise Way (b. 2017)daughter of Electric Century and My Chemical Romance Bassist Mikey Way
  • Rowan McKee Melia (b. 2017)daughter of American soccer player Tim Melia and Kristen Melia

Rowan in Pop Culture

  • Rowan Blackshawcharacter on TV's "The Returned"
  • Rowan Woodwardcharacter in 2006 film "The Wicker Man"
  • Rowan Webstercharacter in "Rescue" by Anita Shreve
  • "The Rowan" a novel by Anne McCaffrey
  • Rowan University in GlassboroNew Jersey
  • Rowan OakWilliam Faulkner's home in Oxford, Mississippi
  • Rowan WhitethornCharacter from Throne of Glass series by Sarah J. Maas
  • Rowan Foxcharacter in "13 Treasures" trilogy by Michelle Harrison
  • Rowan Greyrp character in realplay DnD podcast Drunks and Dragons. Played by Jennifer Cheek.
  • Professor Rowanprofessor in Game Freak's Pokemon Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum games
  • Rowan Khannaa character in Hogwarts Mystery