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.

Owen Rank in US Top 1000

# 19 in the US

Owen Rank in Nameberry Top 1000

# 35 on Nameberry

Popularity of the name Owen

• 19 US 2023
• 35 Nameberry 2025
• 19 Canada 2023
• 19 Future 2035
• 141 England 2023
• 95 Scotland 2024
• 91 Australia 2023
• 62 France 2023
• 40 Netherlands 2024
• 53 Belgium 2023

20 Names Similar to Owen

These 20 names were selected by our users that were looking for other names like Owen.

• Elliot
• Miles
• Eli
• Emmett
• Harrison
• Elliott
• Levi
• Jonah
• Wyatt
• Noah
• Liam
• Bennett
• Graham
• Jack
• Caleb
• Maxwell
• Max
• Everett
• Wesley
• Lincoln

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

The name 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

International Variations of the name Owen

• Eóghan Gaelic
• Eoin Gaelic
• Owain French
• Ouen French