Rowena: name meaning, origin & popularity
- Meaning
- “uncertain”
- Origin
- Unknown
- Say it
- roh-EE-nuh · 3 syllables
- Used for
- Girls
Likely popularized by Sir Walter Scott in Ivanhoe, possibly based on an earlier Old English or Welsh form. Its deeper etymology remains uncertain. The origin of this name is not settled among etymologists.
How popular is Rowena?
Babies named Rowena in 202446
2024 rank#3,381 girls
Peak year1893
Total US babies since 188010,491
Rowena is rising: use over the last five years is 3.7× what it was a decade earlier.
Names like Rowena
Variants, related forms and names with the same roots.
- Avauncertain; possibly bird or life · Unknown
- Mayauncertain; often illusion or water · Unknown
- Ailanyuncertain · Unknown
- Alanauncertain; often linked to little rock or handsome · Unknown
- Leiauncertain; often used as a form of Leah · Unknown
- Londonfrom London, place name · Unknown
- Nayeliuncertain; often said to mean I love you · Unknown
- Elorauncertain; perhaps from Eliora or Laura · Unknown
Rowena questions
What does the name Rowena mean?
Rowena means "uncertain". It comes from Unknown. Likely popularized by Sir Walter Scott in Ivanhoe, possibly based on an earlier Old English or Welsh form. Its deeper etymology remains uncertain.
Is Rowena a boy or girl name?
Rowena is mainly a girl's name in US records (100% of uses since 1880).
How popular is Rowena?
46 US babies were named Rowena in 2024. Its peak year was 1893.
How do you pronounce Rowena?
Rowena is usually pronounced roh-EE-nuh.
Birth counts: US Social Security Administration national data, 1880–2024 (names given to 5+ babies of a sex in a year). How we write meanings.