How common is the surname Rowan?

13,993 people in the United States had the surname Rowan in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 22,064 Americans. It ranked 2,581st of 162,253 surnames.

Who is the most famous person named Rowan?

Ellis Rowan, Australian artist, botanical illustrator and botanical collector (1848-1922), followed by Carl Rowan.

Where is the surname Rowan most common?

Wikidata records people named Rowan in the United States, Australia and Japan.

How do you pronounce Rowan?

Rowan is /ɹoʊən/, 2 syllables.

Is the surname Rowan getting more or less common?

More common. 13,803 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 13,993 in 2010, up 1.4%.

Is Rowan also a first name?

Yes. Rowan is used as a first name as well as a surname; its first-name page has the meaning and how many babies were given it.

The surname Rowan

An Irish patronymic surname, carried by 13,993 people in the United States.

Pronounced /ɹoʊən/ 2 syllables Soundex R500 Also a first name

Every surname held by 100 or more people in the 2010 US Census, most common on the left (162,253 in all). Rowan is more common than 98.4% of them.

Origin

Irish origin

Anglicised from the Irish saints' name Ruadhán (“little red one”), or as a surname from Ó Ruadháin (“descendant of Ruadhán”).

Rowan is a patronymic surname: formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name.

One of 880 Irish surnames on this site.

Origin from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).

How common it is

2010 US Census

There were 13,993 people named Rowan in the United States in 2010, about 1 in every 22,064 Americans. That is up 1.4% since 2000, when the Census counted 13,803.

#2,581

rank among US surnames

13,993

people in 2010

4.7

per 100,000 Americans

+1.4%

change since 2000 (was #2,408)

Rank	Surname	People	1 in
#2,572	Deaton	14,052	21,972
#2,573	Seay	14,046	21,981
#2,574	Squires	14,045	21,983
#2,575	Estep	14,037	21,995
#2,576	Arndt	14,031	22,005
#2,577	Satterfield	14,023	22,017
#2,578	Early	14,014	22,031

Who is named Rowan

Race and Hispanic origin as people reported it in the 2010 Census

87% of people named Rowan identified as white (not Hispanic), 7.0% as Black (not Hispanic) and 2.2% as Hispanic or Latino (any race).

White (not Hispanic) 87%
Black (not Hispanic) 7.0%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 2.2%
Two or more races 1.9%
American Indian and Alaska Native 0.9%
Asian and Pacific Islander 0.7%

Compare: most common surnames among white Americans.

Famous Rowans

6 notable people on Wikidata, most written-about first

Ellis Rowan
Australian artist, botanical illustrator and botanical collector (1848-1922)
Carl Rowan
American journalist (1925–2000)
Dan Rowan
American actor and comedian (1922-1987)
Peter Rowan
American bluegrass musician, born 1942
John Rowan
American politician, Kentucky (1773-1843)
Akebono Tarō
American professional wrestler and rikishi (1969–2024)

Notable Rowans come mostly from the United States (4), Australia (1) and Japan (1).

Spellings and sound-alikes

Useful when a record has your ancestor under another spelling

Surnames that sound like Rowan

Rowan has the Soundex code R500, the code US census indexes have used since the 1930s. Every surname with code R500.

Other Irish surnames

All 880 Irish surnames

Questions

Where does the surname Rowan come from?: Anglicised from the Irish saints' name Ruadhán (“little red one”), or as a surname from Ó Ruadháin (“descendant of Ruadhán”).
How common is the surname Rowan?: 13,993 people in the United States had the surname Rowan in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 22,064 Americans. It ranked 2,581st of 162,253 surnames.
What ethnicity is the surname Rowan?: In the 2010 Census, 87% of people named Rowan identified as white (not Hispanic), and 7.0% as Black (not Hispanic).
Who is the most famous person named Rowan?: Ellis Rowan, Australian artist, botanical illustrator and botanical collector (1848-1922), followed by Carl Rowan.
Where is the surname Rowan most common?: Wikidata records people named Rowan in the United States, Australia and Japan.
How do you pronounce Rowan?: Rowan is /ɹoʊən/, 2 syllables.
What type of surname is Rowan?: Rowan is a patronymic surname, formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name.
Is the surname Rowan getting more or less common?: More common. 13,803 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 13,993 in 2010, up 1.4%.
Is Rowan also a first name?: Yes. Rowan is used as a first name as well as a surname; its first-name page has the meaning and how many babies were given it.