Rovan
A modern invented name of uncertain origin and meaning.
Name Census estimates that about 32 living Americans carry the first name Rovan. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 81.3% of registrations being female. The average person named Rovan today is around 4 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Rovan births was 2023 (11 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Rovan. 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 Rovan with official rankings and popularity over time.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Rovan. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
32
~ 1 in 10,711,073 Americans
Peak year
2023
11 babies that year
Average age
4
years old
2023 SSA rank
#10,095
Tracked since 2017
Gender
Gender distribution for Rovan
Rovan leans heavily female at 81.3% of total registrations, but 6 boys have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Rovan as a male name
- Ranked #11,961 in 2023
- 6 male births in 2023
- Peak: 2023 (6 births)
Rovan as a female name
- Ranked #10,095 in 2024
- 10 female births in 2024
- Peak: 2024 (10 births)
Popularity
Rovan: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Rovan from the 2010s through to the 2020s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2020s, with 21 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
Rovan 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 Rovan 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 Rovan
The name Rovan is believed to have its origins in the ancient Celtic language of the British Isles. Deriving from the Proto-Celtic root word "rou-," meaning "red," the name likely referred to someone with reddish hair or a ruddy complexion. The earliest recorded spelling of the name can be traced back to the 6th century AD, where it appears in the ancient Welsh poem "Gododin" as "Rouuen."
One of the earliest historical figures known to bear the name Rovan was a Welsh chieftain who lived in the late 8th century AD. This Rovan was renowned for his bravery in battle against the invading Saxons and is mentioned in several medieval Welsh chronicles.
In the 11th century, a Benedictine monk named Rovan of Tewkesbury was noted for his scholarly works on theology and philosophy. His treatise "De Natura Rerum" (On the Nature of Things) was widely studied in monastic schools throughout Europe during the Middle Ages.
During the 13th century, a Scottish nobleman named Rovan MacAlpin played a pivotal role in the Wars of Scottish Independence against England. He was a trusted ally of William Wallace and is mentioned in several contemporary accounts of the conflict.
In the 16th century, a Spanish explorer named Rovan de Alvarado was part of the expeditions that led to the conquest of Mexico and Guatemala. He is credited with founding several settlements in Central America and his exploits are documented in the writings of the Spanish chronicler Bernal Díaz del Castillo.
Another notable figure with the name Rovan was an Irish poet and bard who lived in the late 17th century. Rovan O'Reilly was celebrated for his lyrical verses in the Irish language, many of which have been preserved in various anthologies and collections.
People
Rovan + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Rovan as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with R
Other first names starting with R with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Rovan: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Rovan?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 32 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Rovan 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 10,711,073 US residents.
Is Rovan a common name?
We classify Rovan as "Very Rare". It ranks above 47.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 32 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Rovan most popular?
The single biggest year for Rovan was 2023, when 11 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Rovan is about 4 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 Rovan in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Rovan a female name?
Yes, 81.3% of people registered as Rovan in the SSA data are female. 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 Rovan still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Rovan 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 Rovan 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 Americans are named Rovan?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.