Owan
A masculine name of Nigerian origin meaning "river".
Name Census estimates that about 19 living Americans carry the first name Owan. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Owan today is around 12 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Owan births was 2006 (7 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Owan. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Owan with official rankings and popularity over time.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Owan. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
19
~ 1 in 18,039,702 Americans
Peak year
2006
7 babies that year
Average age
12
years old
2019 SSA rank
#13,608
Tracked since 2006
Popularity
Owan: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Owan from the 2000s through to the 2010s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 12 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Owan by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Owan during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Owan
The name Owan is believed to have originated from the Old Irish language, dating back to the 6th century AD. It is derived from the Gaelic word "uan," which means "lamb" or "young sheep." This suggests that the name might have been associated with qualities such as innocence, purity, and gentleness.
In ancient Irish folklore and mythology, there are references to characters with similar names, such as Uan mac Cailchin, a legendary Irish warrior and poet from the 7th century. However, it is unclear if there is a direct connection between these names and the modern form of Owan.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Owan can be found in the Annals of Ulster, a chronicle of medieval Irish history. In this text, an individual named Owan mac Echdach is mentioned as a scribe and scholar who lived in the 9th century.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals bearing the name Owan. One such figure was Owan of Iona, a Scottish monk and scribe who lived in the 8th century. He is renowned for his contributions to the preservation and transcription of ancient texts at the Iona Abbey.
In the 12th century, Owan mac Gilla Críst was an Irish cleric and scholar from the Kingdom of Mide (present-day County Westmeath). He was known for his expertise in canon law and served as the Bishop of Clonmacnoise.
Another notable figure was Owan O'Farrelly, an Irish chieftain from the 15th century who ruled over a territory in what is now County Longford. He played a significant role in local politics and was involved in various conflicts during his lifetime.
In the 17th century, Owan O'Donnell was an Irish soldier who fought for the Catholic Confederacy during the Irish Confederate Wars. He was known for his bravery and military prowess on the battlefield.
While the name Owan has its roots in ancient Irish culture, it has been adopted and used across various regions and ethnicities over the centuries. The name's association with qualities such as innocence and purity has contributed to its enduring appeal and use throughout history.
People
Owan + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Owan as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with O
Other first names starting with O with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Owan: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Owan?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 19 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Owan going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 18,039,702 US residents.
Is Owan a common name?
We classify Owan as "Very Rare". It ranks above 39.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 19 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Owan most popular?
The single biggest year for Owan was 2006, when 7 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Owan is about 12 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Owan in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Owan a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Owan in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Owan still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Owan in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Owan can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people have the name Owan?
If you just want to know how many people have the name Owan, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.