Owen

Welsh
"young warrior; well-born"

Owen Origin and Meaning

The name Owen is a boy's name of Welsh origin meaning "young warrior; well-born".

Owen, a resonant Celtic name, has ranked among the Top 100 boys' names in the US for 20 years and is now at its highest point ever.

Why do so many parents love Owen? It's a classic with a genuine history, yet it's right in step with the modern trend for two-syllable, n-ending boys' names. Owen-like choices with less tradition behind them include Logan, Bowen, and Rowan.

Owen is derived from two names—the Welsh Owain and the Celtic Eoghan. Each are connected to Eugene, which ultimately came from the Greek word eugenes, comprised of the elements eu, meaning good, and genes, "born."

Owen became a Welsh patronymic surname during the Renaissance. The legendary St. Owen was a Benedictine monk who was a follower of St. Chad.

In Ireland, Owen may be spelled Eoin, as in Irish writer Eoin Colfer, and Eoghan. Other similar names include the Scottish Ewan or Euan and the French Ouen.

Owen's popularity now extends beyond English-speaking countries to France, Belgium, and the Netherlands.

# 19 in the US

Owen Rank in US Top 1000

# 38 on Nameberry

Owen Rank in Nameberry Top 1000

Owen Popularity

Famous People Named Owen

  • Owen Cunningham Wilson
    American actor
  • Owen Wister
    American novelist
  • Owen Bento
    American child actor
  • Owen Gerald Daniels
    American football player
  • Owen Marecic
    American football player
  • Owen Columba Coyle
    Irish footballer and manager
  • Owen Lee Hargreaves
    English footballer
  • Owen Andrew Farrell
    English rugby union player
  • Owen Willans Richardson
    British physicist and Nobel prize winner
  • Owen James Hart
    Canadian wrestler
  • Owen Chamberlain
    winner of the Nobel Prize in Physics
  • Owen King
    American novelist; son of novelist Stephen King
  • (John) Owen Danoff
    American singer; son of Bill Danoff of the Starland Vocal Band
  • Owen Jones
    British political journalist and writer
  • Owen Joseph Kline
    son of actors Kevin Kline and Phoebe Cates
  • Owen Tyler Sussman
    son of actress/TV host Ricki Lake
  • Owen Neistat
    son of YouTuber Casey Neistat
  • Owen James Humphrys
    son of radio presenters Valerie Sanderson and John Humphrys
  • Owen Park
    son of actors Steve Park and Kelly Coffield Pecora
  • Owen Strausser Speer Wyle
    son of American actor Noah Wyle
  • Owen Berry (b. 2003)
    son of drummer Bill Berry of R.E.M.
  • Owen Timothy Howard
    son of actress Darlene Vogel and Mark Howard
  • Owen Leigh Odmark (b. 2009)
    son of musician Matt Odmark of Jars of Clay
  • Owen James Naughton (b. 2009)
    son of actress Kelli O'Hara and Greg Naughton
  • Owen Edward Pettit (b. 2009)
    son of singer George Pettit of Alexisonfire
  • Owen Haining (b. 2010)
    son of model Michelle Marsh and footballer Will Haining
  • Owen Lee Shook (b. 2015)
    son of actress Shiri Appleby and Jon Shook
  • Owen Barlett Hubbell (b. 2016)
    son of actress Heather Morris and Taylor Hubbell
  • Owen Thomas Burnett Rubulotta (b. 2018)
    son of CNN anchor Erin Burnett and husband David Rubulotta

Owen in Pop Culture

  • Owen Lars
    the uncle who raised Luke Skywalker in the Star Wars series
  • Dr. Owen Harper
    character on TV's "Torchwood"
  • Owen French
    character on TV's "Drop Dead Diva"
  • Dr. Owen Hunt
    character on TV's "Grey's Anatomy"
  • Owen Milgrim
    character on TV's "Maniac"
  • Owen
    character on animated series in the "Total Drama" series
  • Owen Morello
    character in the TV series "One Tree Hill"
  • Owen Salinger
    youngest child from TV series "Party of Five"
  • Owen Newitt
    character on TV series "Vicar of Dibley"
  • Owen Elliot
    character on TV series "Nikita"
  • "U.N. Owen Was Her
    " song from the Touhou games
  • U.N. Owen
    character in Agatha Christie's "And Then There Were None" and personalized version of "Unknown"
  • Owen Thurman
    character on TV's "Buffy the Vampire Slayer"
  • "Owen
    " children's book by Kevin Henkes
  • Owen Grady
    main character in film "Jurassic World"
  • Owen
    character in Aphmau's YouTube series "Dreams of Estorra"
  • Owen Shaw
    main villain in "Fast & Furious 6"
  • Owen Hall
    character on the TV series "Quantico"
  • Owen Wilson
    Hollywood actor turned internet meme
  • Owen Rocksteed
    the real name of Rocksteady, the Mutant black rhinoceros, in the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Franchise, the name was revealed in the