Given name & surname · also Welsh, Latin
Owen
“born of Esos”
Owen is used as a given name and a surname. One Latin interpretation is “born of Esos.” Its derivation is not certain.
Original WelshOwain
Meaning & origin
What it means
One Latin interpretation is “born of Esos.” Its derivation is not certain.
Where it comes from
A possible origin is Latin, although the derivation remains uncertain.
How it developed
Owen is used as a form of Eugene.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1880. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Owen through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 246,320
- 245,644 boys · 676 girls
- Most popular year
- 2016
- 10,331 babies
- 2025
- 7,223
- #31 for boys · #4,329 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −15%
- Easing
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 7,190 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 31 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 14.6% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 10,305 in 2016. It also appeared in 33 birth records for girls in 2025. In 2025, California had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (604). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 176,419 as a first name in 2020; 58,962 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Owen’s family of names
In English usage, Owen shares an earlier linguistic root with Eugene. In Irish usage, Owen has a conventional equivalent in the French form Jean. Owen is a form of Eugene.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Owen has relatives in 3 languages. Lines run from its Latin roots to each of them.
5 related names in 3 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 19
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Across languages 10
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
- Rowenequivalent
- JeanFrench
- Eugenedoublet · English
- Eoinequivalent
- Ovenoequivalent
- Oweynequivalent
- Owinusequivalent
- Ougenequivalent
Show 2 moreShow fewer
People named Owen
- Owen RichardsonBritish physicist (1879-1959)
- Owen WilsonAmerican actor (born 1968)
- Owen ChamberlainAmerican physicist1920–2006
- Owen HargreavesEnglish association football playerborn 1981
- Owen HartCanadian wrestler (1965-1999)
- Owen ArthurBarbadian politician (1949-2020)
- Owen GarriottAmerican electrical engineer and astronaut (1930-2019)
- Owen D. YoungAmerican businessman, lawyer, diplomat (1874–1962)
- Owen TudorWelsh noble (1400–1461)
Characters named Owen: Owen Lars (Star Wars character), Owen Hunt (the television show Grey's Anatomy), Owen Grady (Jurassic World character).
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Owen, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Nolan
“a champion of the people”
99% boys · 1% girls
Bowen
“the son of Owen”
97% boys · 3% girls
Oren
“from the pine tree” · “a pale-skinned man”
99% boys · 1% girls
Axel
“source of life; small oak” · “axe”
>99% boys
Camden
“from the winding valley”
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Oliver
“olive tree”
>99% boys
Logan
“from the hollow” · “from the little hollow”
91% boys · 9% girls
Roman
“roman” · “a citizen of Rome”
99% boys · 1% girls