Girls' name · since 1880
Rowena
Since 1880, U.S. Social Security records show 10,526 babies named Rowena, peaking in 1917. See the year-by-year trend, decade totals, and state rankings below, sourced from federal birth data.
- #1,604 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #4,354 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 10,526
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
Rowena currently ranks #4354 among girls' names in America, with 10,526 babies recorded since 1880.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Rowena has been recorded 10,526 times among girls since 1880, currently ranked #4354 nationally and more common than 75% of girls, with its heaviest use in the 1920s. This profile covers year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution, all derived directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #1,604 of 72,339 all-time among girls
- #4,354 of 17,297 2025 SSA year
- 10,526 born since 1880
- 1920s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Rowena ranks #1,604 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #4,354 of 17,297 among girls' names in 2025. 10,526 born since 1880, peaking in the 1920s.
- #1,604 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #4,354 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 10,526
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
Rowena's 10,526 recorded births place it above 97.78% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.
38 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by California.
How Rowena compares
10,526 Top 9% higher than 91% of 17,297 names currently given to girls
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked girls names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Rowena's all-time total is 28x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Rowena | Median girls name (Kyann) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 10,526 | 376 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 224 | 21 | 19,840 |
Rowena's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Rowena splits its recorded history at 1953: 34% of all births land in the more recent half, 66% in the earlier half, leaning more toward its earlier era than today's. The single quietest year was 1881 (6 births) -- compare that against the 1917 peak of 224 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Rowena popularity over time
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1917)
- 224
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Rowena by decade
1920s is the heaviest window (1,774 births, 17% of the file).
1920s was Rowena's strongest decade.
1,774 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 17% of all-time use.
Rowena births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 160
1880s
160 births
- 1890s 354
1890s
354 births
- 1900s 406
1900s
406 births
- 1910s
1910s
1,412 births
- 1920s
1920s
1,774 births
- 1930s
1930s
1,481 births
- 1940s
1940s
1,056 births
- 1950s
1950s
1,268 births
- 1960s
1960s
960 births
- 1970s 566
1970s
566 births
- 1980s 391
1980s
391 births
- 1990s 163
1990s
163 births
- 2000s 127
2000s
127 births
- 2010s 168
2010s
168 births
- 2020s 240
2020s
240 births
What this shows Peak: 1920s at 1,774 births (17% of all-time use).
How Rowena compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 girls names closest to Rowena's total volume
Rowena by state
Where Rowena concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 743 | 7.1% |
| #2 | Texas | | 468 | 4.4% |
| #3 | Ohio | | 415 | 3.9% |
| #4 | New York | | 394 | 3.7% |
| #5 | Illinois | | 313 | 3.0% |
| #6 | Missouri | | 308 | 2.9% |
| #7 | Hawaii | | 299 | 2.8% |
| #8 | Oklahoma | | 262 | 2.5% |
743 of 10,526 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 38 reporting states.
Rowena appears in 38 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Rowena? ▼
Where does Rowena sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Rowena most popular? ▼
Where is Rowena most popular? ▼
How long has the name Rowena been used? ▼
What names are similar to Rowena? ▼
What to do with Rowena's data
- Rowena's decade-level peak was the 1920s (1,774 total births); usage has since declined to 240 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Rowenas (743 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Rowena
Nearby Names Like Rowena
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Rowena
Compare Rowena side by side: Rowena vs Rowan Rowena vs Rowyn Rowena vs Rowen
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Rowena
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Rowena: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1917)
Similar record span (~145 yrs)
Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.
Data Sources
Data as of August 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1880–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Rowena draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.