Rowan
Rowan is given to both girls and boys: 1,240 girls and 5,212 boys were given it in 2025 (#249 among girls’ names and #59 among boys’, #61 among all names counting both); 72,853 Americans have been recorded with it since 1916 (Social Security Administration, published May 2026). Boys have outnumbered girls among babies named Rowan every year since 2003.
An estimated 72,000 Americans named Rowan and born in the U.S. are alive in 2026 (99% of everyone recorded); the median is 7 years old and half are between 4 and 13.
Girls and boys together; gaps are years SSA did not record (fewer than 5 births).
Births of Rowan by year: SSA national baby-name file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
What does Rowan mean?
Wiktionary, English section
Rowan is “a male given name from Irish.” Its etymology gives the senses “little red one” (Ruadhán) and “descendant of Ruadhán” (Ruadháin).
Also “a unisex given name from English of modern usage, often associated with the rowan tree.”
Anglicised from the Irish saints' name Ruadhán (“little red one”), or as a surname from Ó Ruadháin (“descendant of Ruadhán”).
/ɹoʊən/
Meaning: Wiktionary, English section, as of Sep 25, 2026 (CC BY‑SA 4.0).
How popular is Rowan?
#59 among boys’ names, 2025
Rowan rose from #219 in 2015 to #59 in 2025 among boys’ names; its share of boys born rose from 0.95 to 3.1 per 1,000.
6,452 babies in 2025, the peak
Rowan peaked in 2025, when 6,452 babies were given it (5,212 boys, #59 among boys’ names). In 2024 it went to 4,667 boys.
Births by sex.
| Year | Girls | Girls’ rank | Boys | Boys’ rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1,240 | #249 | 5,212 | #59 |
| 2024 | 1,198 | #266 | 4,667 | #71 |
| 2023 | 1,288 | #234 | 4,215 | #76 |
| 2022 | 1,139 | #277 | 3,763 | #96 |
| 2021 | 1,262 | #241 | 3,648 | #105 |
| 2020 | 1,179 | #255 | 3,258 | #113 |
| 2019 | 1,353 | #230 | 3,223 | #118 |
| 2018 | 1,459 | #212 | 3,041 | #129 |
| 2017 | 1,448 | #213 | 2,847 | #140 |
| 2016 | 1,351 | #240 | 2,194 | #182 |
Every recorded year (103)
| Year | Girls | Girls’ rank | Boys | Boys’ rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 989 | #331 | 1,816 | #219 |
| 2014 | 774 | #413 | 1,548 | #240 |
| 2013 | 714 | #427 | 1,197 | #292 |
| 2012 | 684 | #454 | 1,151 | #300 |
| 2011 | 544 | #534 | 1,047 | #309 |
| 2010 | 608 | #493 | 955 | #328 |
| 2009 | 616 | #497 | 958 | #332 |
| 2008 | 676 | #471 | 973 | #339 |
| 2007 | 711 | #453 | 869 | #365 |
| 2006 | 452 | #638 | 673 | #424 |
| 2005 | 347 | #766 | 603 | #437 |
| 2004 | 379 | #709 | 529 | #477 |
| 2003 | 245 | #956 | 328 | #626 |
| 2002 | 207 | #1,040 | 206 | #817 |
| 2001 | 174 | #1,179 | 197 | #827 |
| 2000 | 158 | #1,240 | 155 | #970 |
| 1999 | 140 | #1,300 | 143 | #990 |
| 1998 | 146 | #1,251 | 103 | #1,200 |
| 1997 | 167 | #1,126 | 109 | #1,139 |
| 1996 | 146 | #1,216 | 89 | #1,254 |
| 1995 | 106 | #1,496 | 64 | #1,501 |
| 1994 | 93 | #1,628 | 53 | #1,704 |
| 1993 | 62 | #2,165 | 38 | #2,114 |
| 1992 | 33 | #3,392 | 42 | #1,945 |
| 1991 | 30 | #3,609 | 39 | #1,970 |
| 1990 | 5 | #14,711 | 29 | #2,414 |
| 1989 | 13 | #6,436 | 27 | #2,453 |
| 1988 | 10 | #7,547 | 29 | #2,180 |
| 1987 | 7 | #9,564 | 14 | #3,468 |
| 1986 | 11 | #6,489 | 20 | #2,671 |
| 1985 | 5 | #12,037 | 20 | #2,578 |
| 1984 | 10 | #6,669 | 15 | #3,067 |
| 1983 | 9 | #7,146 | 10 | #4,088 |
| 1982 | 10 | #6,751 | 16 | #2,950 |
| 1981 | 6 | #10,085 | 20 | #2,476 |
| 1980 | 8 | #7,973 | 11 | #3,799 |
| 1979 | under 5 | 12 | #3,526 | |
| 1978 | under 5 | 13 | #3,192 | |
| 1976 | under 5 | 12 | #3,225 | |
| 1975 | 6 | #8,773 | 9 | #3,885 |
| 1974 | under 5 | 7 | #4,549 | |
| 1973 | under 5 | 7 | #4,412 | |
| 1972 | under 5 | 7 | #4,358 | |
| 1971 | under 5 | 11 | #3,107 | |
| 1969 | under 5 | 10 | #3,029 | |
| 1968 | under 5 | 7 | #3,619 | |
| 1967 | under 5 | 8 | #3,191 | |
| 1966 | under 5 | 8 | #3,194 | |
| 1965 | under 5 | 6 | #3,859 | |
| 1964 | under 5 | 16 | #2,099 | |
| 1963 | under 5 | 5 | #4,521 | |
| 1961 | under 5 | 6 | #3,990 | |
| 1960 | under 5 | 5 | #4,505 | |
| 1959 | under 5 | 7 | #3,550 | |
| 1958 | under 5 | 7 | #3,518 | |
| 1957 | under 5 | 10 | #2,796 | |
| 1956 | under 5 | 8 | #3,162 | |
| 1955 | under 5 | 8 | #3,164 | |
| 1954 | under 5 | 5 | #4,281 | |
| 1953 | under 5 | 6 | #3,734 | |
| 1952 | under 5 | 12 | #2,353 | |
| 1951 | under 5 | 5 | #4,154 | |
| 1950 | under 5 | 9 | #2,736 | |
| 1949 | under 5 | 13 | #2,207 | |
| 1948 | under 5 | 10 | #2,586 | |
| 1947 | under 5 | 8 | #3,057 | |
| 1946 | under 5 | 8 | #2,880 | |
| 1945 | under 5 | 11 | #2,222 | |
| 1944 | under 5 | 9 | #2,604 | |
| 1943 | under 5 | 7 | #3,189 | |
| 1942 | 7 | #4,053 | 5 | #3,956 |
| 1940 | under 5 | 5 | #3,851 | |
| 1939 | under 5 | 7 | #3,065 | |
| 1938 | under 5 | 8 | #2,827 | |
| 1937 | under 5 | 8 | #2,867 | |
| 1936 | under 5 | 7 | #3,099 | |
| 1935 | under 5 | 7 | #3,207 | |
| 1934 | under 5 | 11 | #2,373 | |
| 1933 | under 5 | 6 | #3,573 | |
| 1932 | under 5 | 5 | #4,198 | |
| 1931 | under 5 | 13 | #2,196 | |
| 1928 | under 5 | 11 | #2,620 | |
| 1927 | under 5 | 7 | #3,718 | |
| 1926 | under 5 | 8 | #3,331 | |
| 1925 | under 5 | 8 | #3,350 | |
| 1924 | under 5 | 6 | #4,262 | |
| 1923 | under 5 | 7 | #3,752 | |
| 1922 | under 5 | 11 | #2,770 | |
| 1921 | under 5 | 9 | #3,174 | |
| 1920 | under 5 | 5 | #4,851 | |
| 1919 | under 5 | 6 | #4,090 | |
| 1918 | under 5 | 7 | #3,648 | |
| 1916 | under 5 | 5 | #4,402 |
Ranks: girls’ names and boys’ names ranked separately in each year’s SSA file; “under 5” is a year SSA did not list the name for that sex.
Is Rowan a boy’s or a girl’s name?
Of the 72,853 Americans recorded as Rowan, 31% are girls and 69% boys.
Years with fewer than 20 babies given the name are left blank.
Girls and boys named Rowan: the SSA national file counts each sex separately.
How many people are named Rowan, and how old are they?
72,000 alive in 2026, estimated
That is 99% of the 72,853 Americans ever recorded as Rowan. The median Rowan alive today is 7 years old; half are between 4 and 13.
The 2020 Census counted 40,085 people named Rowan (14,773 women and girls, 25,312 men and boys). SSA’s births carried forward to Census day, April 1, 2020, predict 41,369 born in the U.S. The Census count is 3% below that prediction.
Alive today, by age
Alive today, by generation
| Generation | Born | Alive |
|---|---|---|
| Silent Generation | 1928-1945 | 27 |
| Baby Boomers | 1946-1964 | 96 |
| Generation X | 1965-1980 | 127 |
| Millennials | 1981-1996 | 1,050 |
| Generation Z | 1997-2012 | 15,100 |
| Generation Alpha | 2013-2025 | 55,600 |
An estimate, not a count. SSA’s files count people born in the United States who received a Social Security number, so anyone born abroad is not in them; before 1937 most people got a number as adults, and their survival is counted from that age.
Living estimate: SSA births carried forward with the survival rates in SSA’s cohort life tables (2024 Trustees Report) for each birth year and sex. How the estimate is made. Count: Census Bureau, first names in the 2020 Census (released April 14, 2026; names reported 100 or more times, with the Bureau’s disclosure-avoidance adjustment).
Where are babies named Rowan born?
The states with the most babies named Rowan are Texas, California and Pennsylvania, with 20% of its births recorded by state in 2025.
| State | Births 2025 | Rank, boys | vs. national |
|---|---|---|---|
| Texas | 494 | #102 | 0.6× |
| California | 476 | #110 | 0.7× |
| Pennsylvania | 313 | #36 | 1.3× |
| Florida | 300 | #91 | 0.7× |
| Ohio | 289 | #38 | 1.3× |
| New York | 278 | #79 | 0.7× |
| North Carolina | 240 | #50 | 0.8× |
| Michigan | 235 | #28 | 1.1× |
| Colorado | 194 | #22 | 1.5× |
| Illinois | 191 | #75 | 0.9× |
Where Rowan is more common than its national share predicts
Relative to its national share, Rowan is most over-represented in Oregon: since 1916 it was given 1.9 times as often there as its national share each year would predict.
States: SSA state file, 1910-2025, published May 8, 2026; births count girls and boys together, and the rank is among boys’ names in the state in 2025. The file leaves out any state and year with fewer than 5 babies of the name, so small states are undercounted; each ratio compares the state’s births of Rowan with the births its national share predicts year by year, for states with at least 100 births of the name.
Names spelled alike
Of these 4 names spelled alike, given to 83,987 babies since 1880, Rowan is the most given (87% of them). In 2025 it was given to 6,452 of their 7,241 babies (89%), again the most given.
Spelled alike: names in the SSA national file with the same pattern of letters and sounds and at most two letters apart, and Wiktionary’s listed forms; births since 1880 and in 2025, and each name’s peak year, from the SSA national file, published May 8, 2026. Some are separate names, not spellings of one.
Names that rose and fell in the same decades as Rowan
Names whose births rose and fell across the same decades, measured on each decade’s share of births.
Similar histories: each decade’s share of births, from the SSA national file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
More about Rowan and names like it
- Compare Rowan and RowenBirths, ranks, peak and the living estimate side by side.
- The most given names of the 2020sRowan peaked in 2025.
- California’s most given namesThe state where SSA recorded the most babies named Rowan since 1910.
- Irish namesWiktionary’s origin for Rowan: every such name, by how often it is given.
- The top names of 2025The year the most babies were named Rowan.
- The names of Generation AlphaMost people named Rowan alive today were born 2013-2025.
- Names starting with RMost given first.