Owen: Name Meaning, Origin, Popularity, & Inspiration

Meaning and Origin of: Owen

Boy name origins & meanings

Irish : Born to nobility; warrior

What does Owen mean and stand for?

Owen is a variation of Welsh first name Owain.

Syllables: 2

Boy name variations

Family name origins & meanings

Welsh : from the Welsh personal name Owain, probably a borrowing in Roman times of Latin Eugenius (see Eugene), but possibly of more ancient Celtic origin, cognate with Gaelic Eoghan.
Scottish and Irish : reduced Anglicized form of Gaelic Mac Eoghain ‘son of Eoghan’ (see McEwen).

Famous people with this first name

Owen Wilson

Famous people who gave their babies this name

Popularity

According to the Social Security Administration data, Owen has been rising incrementally in popularity since 2000. Owen has been in the top 30 since 2016, where is was at its peak in 2019, ranking in at 21.

However, it is the 31st most popular name on FamilyEducation.com.

According to Google search data analysis, in the last five years, Owen was at its peak popularity from August 11-17th, 2019.

The name has surged in popularity since the year 2000 with a famous title character being John Irving's A Prayer for Owen Meany. Its popularity may be due in part to celebs like Owen Wilson and Clive Owen.