Owen

#9 in Vermont

Meaning of Owen

Owen (pronounced OH-in) springs from the Celtic well, blending the Welsh “Owain” and the Irish “Eoghan,” names that whisper “young warrior,” “noble,” and even “born of the yew,” a tree the Romans once called sacred—buena mezcla, ¿no? Over the years this short, upbeat name has marched from medieval battlefields straight onto Hollywood’s red carpets with charm to spare (think poet-soldier Wilfred Owen and the ever-smiling actor Owen Wilson). In the U.S. charts it has danced from the 400s a generation ago to today’s Top 30, proving that parents adore its friendly stride and timeless strength. Picture a little Owen racing through life like a bright comet—courageous, kind, and just mischievous enough to keep things interesting. If you crave a name that feels classic yet fresh, Celtic yet universal, Owen carries that noble torch with an ¡olé! and a grin.

Pronunciation

British English

  • Pronunced as OH-in (/ˈəʊ.ən/)

American English

  • Pronunced as OH-in (/ˈoʊ.ən/)

U.S. Popularity Chart

States Popularity Chart

Notable People Named Owen

Owen Brown, third son of abolitionist John Brown, was the most involved of his siblings, the only one to take part in both Bleeding Kansas and the Harpers Ferry raid, training with recruits in Tabor Iowa, helping plan in Chatham Ontario, and serving as the group treasurer.
Sir Owen Tudor, a Welsh courtier and second husband of Queen Catherine of Valois, was the grandfather of Henry VII, founder of the Tudor dynasty.
Owen Kay Garriott was an American electrical engineer and NASA astronaut who spent 60 days on Skylab in 1973 and 10 days on Spacelab 1 aboard the Space Shuttle in 1983.
William Owen Chadwick was a British Anglican priest, rugby international, and renowned historian of Christianity who led Selwyn College, Cambridge and held the Dixie and Regius history professorships.
Owen Williams is a Welsh rugby union fly-half for the Ospreys who has represented Wales at senior and U20 level.
Owen Keir Davidson was an Australian professional tennis player in the 1960s and 1970s.
Owen Gleiberman is an American film critic, co-chief film critic at Variety since 2016, previously at Entertainment Weekly and The Phoenix.
Owen Pallett is a Canadian composer and multi instrumentalist who, as Final Fantasy, won the 2006 Polaris Music Prize, arranged and toured with Arcade Fire, and earned a 2014 Best Original Score Oscar nomination for Her with William Butler.
Ana Perez
Curated byAna Perez

Assistant Editor