Owen
Feminine
Owen is given to boys far more often — 245,644 boys against 676 girls since 1880. See Owen as a boy name
Owen is the English form of Welsh Owain, and its origin is argued between a Latin import and a native Welsh compound.
How old is the name Owen?
Owen first appears in US birth records in 1915 — 110 years ago. The typical Owen alive today was born around 2012, making them about 13 years old. About 600 people named Owen are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Owen most popular?
Owen peaked in 1929, reaching #3137 nationally. Today it ranks #4265, 1,128 places below that high. See the whole 1929 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
From Owain to Owen
The story of Owen
Owain Glyndŵr led the last Welsh rising against English rule from 1400 and was never captured — he simply disappeared from the record, which has kept him useful to Welsh memory ever since. Owain also appears in Arthurian romance as the Knight of the Lion. English took Owen. Its use for girls in American records is small and appears from the 1920s onward.
Meaningscholars disagree
Not established
One reading takes Owain from Latin Eugenius, well-born, borrowed into Welsh; another builds it on Welsh eoghunn or a compound with a word for a lamb. Neither is settled and both are seriously argued.
How the name formed
- Owain
- Owen
Related forms: Owain · Owen · Eoghan
Pronouncing Owen
OH-in
Two syllables, first stressed. Welsh Owain gives OH-wine.
Nicknames for Owen
Moderate
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1915
- Most girls named
- 202139 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #3137reached in 1929
- Change vs 2024
- +57.1%33 in 2025, from 21
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Owen in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Owain in Welsh — same name
- Owen in English — same name
- Eoghan in Irish — related form
Strongest US states over the last decade: Texas, California, Georgia.
Owens among us
people named Owen are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 girl in 48,705 born in 2025 was named Owen
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
What happens to a name after it peaks
Fashion outlook
Owen sits in the calm middle of the cycle — neither chasing a wave nor sliding off one. Middle-of-the-cycle names age slowly and predictably.
A scored estimate from 146 years of naming cycles — not a prophecy. Great names outlive statistics. How this is scored
Where Owen is headed
Owen should hold steady through 2030 — the curve is flat, and flat curves are the most predictable kind.
Medium confidence — fitted on official counts through 2025.
A damped-trend projection of the official birth data — a sketch of momentum, not a promise. Every name's forecast, ranked.
Owen beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Owen in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US girls given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- A genuinely significant Welsh historical figure stands behind it.
- Four letters and two syllables, about as easy to write as a name gets.
- Read correctly on sight by every English speaker.
- It is overwhelmingly a men's name now and she will correct assumptions.
- The meaning is genuinely argued between two accounts.
- Owen is very widely used for boys, which makes the crossover sharper.
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What they receive
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Owen
Feminine · #4265 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Owens are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 600 people named Owen are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Owen in 2025?
- Owen ranks #4265 among US girl names in 2025, with 33 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Owen?
- About 1 in every 48,705 US girls born in 2025 was named Owen — 33 in all.
- Will my child share the name Owen with classmates?
- Owen will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Owen
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Hyacinth#4265 · Halina#4265 · Michal#4265 · Sadia#4265 · Zahava#4265 · Maiah#4265 · Daysi#4265 · Corrie#4265
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Owen? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Owen and another name?
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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