It’s a surname, a place name and a Top 100 choice for boys born today.
Thanks to Bevin for suggesting Owen as Name of the Day.
There are several possible origins for Owen:
- Some link him to the Welsh word for yew tree- ywen;
- There’s also the Welsh word for lamb – oen;
- The Gaelic loghunn – youth – is another option.
- He’s often listed as a Welsh form of Eugene. If that’s the case, then he comes from the Greek eugenes - well-born.
The Eugene connection seems promising, especially since his alternate spellings over the years included Eoghan, Eoghann and even Eugein and Ougein. Plenty of names are translated into other languages and transformed – Katherine as the Yiddish Reina or the Mohawk Kateri, for example. But others are match-ups. A writer looking to Latinize Eoghan may’ve settled on Eugenius, even if the names were previously unrelated.
Other forms abound – the medieval Owain, the Breton Even and the French Ivain to name just a few.
But let’s just call it a name of uncertain derivation and move on to notable Owens:
- In the 500s, Saint Eogan founded a monastery;
- Around the same time, Owain up Urien was a Welsh warrior prince;
- The prince may have been the inspiration behind the name of the legendary Owain, one of King Arthur’s Knights of the Round Table;
- Owen I ruled the Kingdom of Strathclyde in the 900s;
- A 14th century resistance fighter, Owain Glyn Dŵr, rallied the Welsh against the English. He was the last Welsh Prince of Wales and appeared in Shakespeare’s history Henry IV, Part 1 as Owen Glendower.
Then there’s Owen Tudor, who founded a dynasty. The Welsh solider entered the household of the dowager Queen Catherine of Valois as a courtier. They apparently married in secret – and it is possible that their marriage was not legally valid. But no matter. They had five children together, including a son, Edmund. Both Owen and Edmund died during the Wars of the Roses. England’s civil war raged for three decades, but in the end, Edmund’s son, Henry Tudor, became Henry VII of England. (Though Henry VII’s claim to the throne was through his maternal side – but that’s another story.)
You’ll find the name in use steadily over the years. In 1923, playwright Owen Davis scored a Pulitzer Prize for Drama for Icebound. Nashville’s Owen Bradley propelled many beloved country music stars to fame, including Pasty Cline and Conway Twitty.
More recently, there’s:
- Luke Skywalker’s Uncle Owen from Star Wars;
- Celebrated novelist John Irving penned A Prayer for Owen Meany in 1989;
- Season Five addition to the cast of Gray’s Anatomy, Dr. Owen Hunt;
- Torchwood’s alien-hunting doc Owen Harper;
- And, of course, there’s actor and comedian Owen Wilson.
While Owen has a long history of use, he is undeniably at his most popular right now. He entered the US Top 1000 for boys in 2002. Over at Nameberry, he ranks on their list of users’ favorites for boys. Celebs have used it for their starbaby boys – ER alum Noah Wyle used it for his son; singer Michelle Branch called her daughter Owen.
It’s hard not to like Owen, with his upbeat sound and long history. Only trouble is that lots of other parents like him, too. At #58 in the US, he’s still far from overexposed – even if he can’t be considered unusual.
I like Owen. You mentioned the French Ivain…is it related maybe to Ivan? Which of course is a form of John…
The theory is that Ivain/Yvain evolved from the Breton form of Owain, but that’s up for debate. I doubt there’s any link to Ivan, if only because the medieval French form of John is usually Jehan. But that’s a top-of-my-head guess … it would be cool if there were a connection! Do all male names lead back to John and James? Hmmm ….
It’s a perfectly decent name, it’s just very blah. I’ve seen it on so many middle-aged to elderly men here in NZ. It’s not in our top 100 so that doesn’t surprise me at all. I’m sure it will be back in fashion at some point as I’m seeing a few in the Aussie BAs. It’s slightly amusing seeing it so high in the US chart but at the same time I’m quite pleased.
Thinking on it, I’d liken Owen to the Ian situation here. Considered a very dated/ typical senior citizen name in NZ (and possibly Australia too) but yet it’s in the US top 100 which is rather neat.
Ian is one of those British names that has been warming in the States. Other distinctly British names–to me–include Nigel, Alastair, Cleave and St. John (Sinjin). I wonder if those will ever rise in popularity here.
Love St.John! Pity it’s so damn poncy. Decent enough middle name material I think.
Here in NZ, Nigel and Alastair are firmly middle aged names and perhaps slightly crusty although Alastair still retains a certain handsomeness. Nigel is unfortunately considered extremely nerdy/unattractive which may lend an explanation to the phrase “Nigel no mates” aka someone with no friends.
Owain Yeoman is a very handsome British actor currently in the cast of The Mentalist.
I have long hated this name, thanks to John Irving’s A Prayer for Owen Meany. I hated the book, hated Owen Meany. I just can’t ever get over that association. The name seems to be getting more and more popular lately, too – and it’s on of those names like Caleb and Elijah, that just stick in my craw. Oh well. On to next week’s batch! I’m looking forwad to it.
Thank you for doing Owen. (is that the right way to say it or will I arouse suspicion with your significant other?!?)
I still prefer Eoghan or Eoin rather than Owen. I love reading the history of names and learning the associations between seemingly different names. I think most of that huge list I wrote were family names so some are especially interesting.
I liked A Prayer for Owen Meany — it was a very thought-provoking and well-written book — but Owen Meany himself was such a strong character that I’m not sure I could ever use the name on a child.
I agree – he isn’t the kind of character you’d name a child after … admirable though he may be.
I am with Photoquilty, this is one male name that just irks me, though my reasons are similar yet different, I went to school with an Owen who was a problem child, plus, I find it very soft and weak. I just have never seen the appeal.
Owen was also Danny DeVito’s character in Throw Momma From The Train. I remember Momma screaming “Owen!” throughout the movie!
Personally, the name just does not grab me. There is nothing attractive or pleasant sounds to me. It isn’t even bleh – it’s honestly a name that I dislike. I’m not American. so I don’t have to endure it often (because of its escalated popularity lately)
The Welsh and Galeic links do redeem it a bit (I’m IN LOVE with names from the Irish specifically, and then the Welsh and then Scottish . The Eugene link is also not a flattering link, personally
Overall, it’s not a bad name-just not a name that appeals to me. However, if someone else likes it – go for it! What truly matters is how you feel about the name- not someone else’s opinion
I first heard this name on a television series called Gargoyles when I was a kid, and somehow its still one of my favorite names. Owen was the quiet, calm, and reliable personal assistant of a lead character on the show. He later turns out to be Puck, of Shakespearean fame. (Puck is another great name, except for that it obviously sounds like a certain expletive. But I do remember seeing a Puck on one of the Real World MTV series waaaay back in the day. His parents were really brave…) There’s also an Agent Owen in the series 24. Can you tell I watch a lot of tv?