Find out how popular the last name Owen is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Owen.

Owen, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Owen surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Owen in America

Owen is the 543rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Owen surname appeared 61,630 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 21 people would have the surname Owen.

We can also compare 2010 data for Owen to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Owen

The surname Owen has its origins in Wales and is derived from the Welsh personal name Owain, which is a variation of the Latin name Eugenius, meaning "well-born" or "noble". This name was popular in medieval Wales and was borne by several Welsh princes and kings.

The earliest recorded use of the surname Owen dates back to the 13th century in Pembrokeshire, Wales. The name is thought to have originated from the personal name of a prominent landowner or leader in the region. The earliest known record of the surname is found in the 1292 Chancery Rolls of Pembrokeshire, where a man named Rees Owen is mentioned.

In the 14th century, the surname Owen appeared in various records from different parts of Wales, including the Llyfr Baglan (Baglan Book), a collection of Welsh genealogies and pedigrees. One notable person from this time was Owain Glyndŵr (c. 1349-1416), a Welsh prince and the last native Welshman to hold the title Prince of Wales. He led a Welsh revolt against the English in the early 15th century.

As the Owen family spread throughout Wales and beyond, the spelling of the surname varied, with forms such as Owan, Owens, and Owain being used. The surname also became associated with certain place names, such as Owenton in Monmouthshire and Owenby in Lincolnshire, England.

In the 16th century, the Owen surname gained prominence with the birth of John Owen (1616-1683), a prominent Puritan minister and theologian who served as the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Oxford. Another notable figure was Robert Owen (1771-1858), a Welsh social reformer and one of the founders of utopian socialism and the cooperative movement.

Other notable individuals with the surname Owen include:

1. William Owen (1769-1825), a Welsh educator and writer who established the first British and Foreign School Society in 1808.
2. Sir Richard Owen (1804-1892), a British biologist and paleontologist who coined the term "dinosaur" and was a pioneer in the study of fossil remains.
3. Wilfred Owen (1893-1918), a renowned English poet and soldier who is considered one of the most influential voices of World War I poetry.
4. Jesse Owen (1913-1980), an American track and field athlete who won four gold medals at the 1936 Berlin Olympics, breaking several world records and challenging Nazi ideologies of racial superiority.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Owen

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Owen.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Owen was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Owen has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Owen was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Owen, please contact us.

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