The first name Rowena
A girl’s name from English.
3 syllables Female
Meaning and origin
English origin
From the name of the daughter of Hengist and wife of Vortigern in Geoffrey of Monmouth's 12th century pseudohistorical Latin work Historia regum Britanniae. There have been attempts to connect it to some unattested Old English or Common Brittonic name, but without any real evidence. It was revived after Walter Scott used it in his novel Ivanhoe (1819). Some places are named after Lady Rowena in the novel.
From Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Popularity
Babies registered in England and Wales, 1996–2025
In 2025, 8 girls were named Rowena, making it the 3,035th most popular girls’ name. It peaked in 1997, with 45 births (#571).
Office for National Statistics; years with fewer than three births are not published and show as zero. Compare Rowena with other names.
Popularity in the United States
Babies named Rowena at birth, 1880–2025
In 2025, 32 girls born in the United States were named Rowena, the 4,441st most popular girls’ name that year. It was used most in 1917, when 224 were.
US Social Security Administration, from applications for a Social Security card. A name is only published for a year when at least five babies were given it, so quieter years show as zero.
Famous people named Rowena
6 on Wikidata, most written-about first
- Rowena MorrillAmerican artist (1944–2021)
- Rowena WebsterAustralian female water polo player, born 1987
- Rowena MeredithAustralian rower, born 1995
- Rowena Mary BruceEnglish chess player, 1915–1999
- Rowena Meeks AbdyAmerican modernist painter (1887-1945)
- Rowena KingBritish actress, born 1970
More English girls’ names
Questions
- What does the name Rowena mean?
- From the name of the daughter of Hengist and wife of Vortigern in Geoffrey of Monmouth's 12th century pseudohistorical Latin work Historia regum Britanniae. There have been attempts to connect it to some unattested Old English or Common Brittonic name, but without any real…
- What is the origin of the name Rowena?
- From the name of the daughter of Hengist and wife of Vortigern in Geoffrey of Monmouth's 12th century pseudohistorical Latin work Historia regum Britanniae. There have been attempts to connect it to some unattested Old English or Common Brittonic name, but without any real evidence. It was revived…
- How popular is the name Rowena?
- In 2025, 8 girls born in England and Wales were named Rowena, ranking 3,035th. Its peak was 1997, with 45 births.
- Is Rowena a boy's or a girl's name?
- Mostly a girl's name: 100% of the 10,526 US babies named Rowena since 1880 were girls.
- When was Rowena most popular?
- 1917 in the United States, when 224 babies were named Rowena, its highest rank at 429th.