Rowlyn
A unique combination of feminine names meaning "famous land" or "bright meadow".
Name Census estimates that about 5 living Americans carry the first name Rowlyn. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Rowlyn today is around 5 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Rowlyn births was 2021 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Rowlyn. 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.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Rowlyn. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
5
~ 1 in 68,550,868 Americans
Peak year
2021
5 babies that year
Average age
5
years old
2021 SSA rank
#13,702
Tracked since 2021
Popularity
Rowlyn: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Rowlyn 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 Rowlyn during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Rowlyn
The given name Rowlyn has its origins in Old English, tracing back to the 5th century CE. It is believed to be a combination of the Old English words "row" meaning "rope" and "lyn" meaning "flax" or "linen." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to a person involved in the rope-making or textile industry.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Rowlyn can be found in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, a historical record of events in Anglo-Saxon England. In the entry for the year 675 CE, a person named Rowlyn is mentioned as a participant in the Battle of Trent, a conflict between the kingdoms of Mercia and Northumbria.
During the Middle Ages, the name Rowlyn appears to have been relatively uncommon, with few notable individuals bearing this name. However, in the 16th century, a merchant named Rowlyn Barclay (1520-1589) gained some renown for his trade ventures to the Netherlands and the establishment of a successful textile business in London.
In the 17th century, a Puritan minister named Rowlyn Whitefield (1612-1682) was known for his fiery sermons and his role in the English Civil War, where he supported the Parliamentarian cause against King Charles I.
Moving into the 19th century, a British explorer and naturalist named Rowlyn Pemberley (1821-1887) made significant contributions to the study of flora and fauna in the Australian outback, publishing several influential works on the subject.
Another notable figure with the name Rowlyn was a French sculptor active in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Rowlyn Durand (1879-1946). He was renowned for his intricate marble sculptures and received numerous commissions for public monuments and buildings in Paris and other French cities.
While the name Rowlyn has not been among the most common given names throughout history, it has a rich heritage and has been borne by individuals from various walks of life, ranging from merchants and clergymen to explorers and artists.
People
Rowlyn + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Rowlyn 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
Rowlyn: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Rowlyn?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Rowlyn 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 68,550,868 US residents.
Is Rowlyn a common name?
We classify Rowlyn as "Very Rare". It ranks above 18.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 5 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Rowlyn most popular?
The single biggest year for Rowlyn was 2021, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Rowlyn is about 5 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 Rowlyn in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Rowlyn a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Rowlyn 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 Rowlyn still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Rowlyn 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 Rowlyn 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 Rowlyn?
See how many Americans are named Rowlyn on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.