Rowena
Feminine
Rowena entered wide use from a novel of 1819, and the medieval source Scott took it from is itself a piece of half-legendary history.
How old is the name Rowena?
Rowena was already in use when US birth records began in 1880 — it is at least 145 years old. The typical Rowena alive today was born around 1936, making them about 89 years old. About 4,600 people named Rowena are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Rowena most popular?
Rowena peaked in 1893, reaching #422 nationally. Today it ranks #4352, 3,930 places below that high. See the whole 1893 chart.
Where it comes from
Origin, sound and short forms
The story of Rowena
Geoffrey of Monmouth and earlier chroniclers name Rowena as the daughter of Hengist who married the British king Vortigern — a story that is legend rather than record. Walter Scott used the name for a character in Ivanhoe in 1819 and it entered English naming immediately afterward. It was well used in American records around 1890.
Meaningscholars disagree
Not established
The name appears in medieval chronicles for a Saxon woman who married a British king; readings from Germanic elements meaning fame and joy, and from a Welsh compound, have both been offered without resolution.
Pronouncing Rowena
roh-EE-nah
Three syllables with the stress in the middle. Some families say ROH-en-ah.
Nicknames for Rowena
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
- 1880
- Most girls named
- 1921209 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #422reached in 1893
- Change vs 2022
- −17.9%32 in 2025, from 39
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.
Rowena in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Rhonwen in Welsh — related form
- Rowina in English — spelling variant
Strongest US states over the last decade: California, Ohio, New York.
Rowenas among us
people named Rowena are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 girl in 50,227 born in 2025 was named Rowena
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
Rowena 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 Rowena is headed
Rowena looks set to keep climbing gently, with roughly 19% more babies a year by 2030 if the current curve holds. Its history is short or jumpy, though, so read this as a sketch rather than a promise.
Low 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.
Rowena beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Rowena in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US girls given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- A documented literary and chronicle history behind it.
- Ro is a plain short form that works from childhood on.
- Genuine turn-of-the-century American use behind it.
- The meaning is genuinely unsettled.
- The stress is unsettled between two readings.
- The Weenie lengthening is worth heading off early.
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What they receive
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Rowena
Feminine · #4352 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Rowenas are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 4,600 people named Rowena are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Rowena in 2025?
- Rowena ranks #4352 among US girl names in 2025, with 32 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Rowena?
- About 1 in every 50,227 US girls born in 2025 was named Rowena — 32 in all.
- Will my child share the name Rowena with classmates?
- Rowena will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Rowena
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Sigrid#4352 · Adel#4352 · Lovella#4352 · Kaysha#4352 · Arissa#4352 · Joseline#4352 · Yajaira#4352 · Elma#4352
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Rowena? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Rowena and another name?
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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