{{Infobox given name2 | name = Rowan | image= | image_size= | caption= | gender = Unisex | language = {{hlist | English | Irish (some variants) | Arabic}} | pronunciation = {{IPAc-en|ˈ|r|oʊ|ə|n}} | meaning = | seealso = {{hlist | Roan | Roy | Rohan}} }}
'''Rowan''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|r|oʊ|ə|n}}) is a traditionally masculine Irish given name and surname, now also in use as a given name for girls.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/21/fashion/gender-neutral-baby-names.html | title = Is Hayden a Boy or Girl? Both. 'Post-Gender' Baby Names Are on the Rise. | last = Williams | first = Alex | date = 18 August 2016 | website = The New York Times | access-date = 3 June 2022 | quote = }}</ref> Variants of the name include Roan,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thinkbabynames.com/meaning/1/Roan|title=Roan – meaning of Roan – name Roan|access-date=2012-07-19}}</ref> Rohan, ''Ruadhán'', and ''Ruadh''. The name comes from the Irish surname ''Ó Ruadháin''<ref name="behindthename">{{cite web|url=http://www.behindthename.com/name/rowan|title=Behind the Name: Meaning, Origin and History of the Name Rowan|access-date=2012-07-19}}</ref> and from the word ruadh, meaning "red-haired" or "rusty." When used as a feminine name, it is often in reference to the tree, the name of which has Scandinavian origins.<ref> {{cite book |last1=Hanks|first1= Patrick| last2=Hardcastle|first2=Kate |last3=Hodges| first3=Flavia| author-link= |date= 2006|title= Oxford Dictionary of First Names|url= |location= |publisher=Oxford University Press |page=236|isbn= 0-19-861060-2}}</ref> It is also an Arabic feminine name (روان) referring to a river in Paradise.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2004/684/li1.htm |title=Al-Ahram Weekly | Living | What's in a name? |access-date=2012-11-17 |archive-date=2015-01-13 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150113014757/http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2004/684/li1.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref> The name shares the same roots as the names Raya, Rana, Rania and Rayan.
Notable people with the name include:
== Surname == * Andrew Summers Rowan (1857–1943), American army officer * Archibald Hamilton Rowan (1751–1834), Irish celebrity and founding member of The Dublin Society of United Irishmen * Athol Rowan (1921–1998), South African cricketer * Barbara Ann Rowan (1938–2020), American attorney * Carl Rowan (1925–2000), American journalist and author * Chad Rowan (1969–2024), ''Akebono'', Hawaiian sumo wrestler * Sir Charles Rowan ({{circa|1782}} – 1852), officer in the British Army and Commissioner of Police of the (London) Metropolis * Dan Rowan (1922–1987), American actor and comedian, ''Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In'' * Dave Rowan (1882–1955), Canadian baseball player * Dawn Rowan (born 1946), Australian therapist * Dominic Rowan (born 1970), English actor * Ellis Rowan (1847–1922), Australian naturalist and illustrator * Eric Rowan (1909–1993), South African cricketer * Erick Rowan (born 1981), ring name of American wrestler Joseph Rudd * Ev Rowan (1902–1956), American football player * Ford Rowan, American television reporter, and panelist on ''Meet the Press'' * George Rowan, Scottish footballer * Henry Rowan (1923–2015), American philanthropist and engineer, namesake of Rowan University * Jenny Rowan (born 1949), New Zealand politician * John Rowan (disambiguation), several people * Jonathan Rowan (born 1981), English footballer * Joseph Rowan (1870–1930), American politician from New York * Kelly Rowan (born 1965), Canadian actress and model * Leslie Rowan (1908–1972), British civil servant and industrialist * Levi J. Rowan (1871–1934) American academic administrator, college president, teacher, and photographer * Lou Rowan (1925–2017), Australian cricket umpire * Louis R. Rowan (1911–1988), American businessman and racehorse owner and breeder * Matthew Rowan (died 1769), American politician from North Carolina * Peter Rowan (born 1942), American bluegrass musician and composer * Ron Rowan (born 1962), American basketball player * Sheila Rowan (physicist) (born 1969), British physicist * Stephen Clegg Rowan (1808–1890), American vice admiral * William Rowan (1789–1879), British military commander
== Given name == * Saint Rowan, Irish 6th century abbot, one of the Apostles of Ireland * Rowan Alexander, Scottish football player and manager * Rowan Atkinson (born 1955), English actor, comedian, and screenwriter * Rowan Barrett (born 1972), Canadian basketball player * Rowan Bettjeman, New Zealander YouTuber, actor, director, and producer * Rowan Blanchard (born 2001), American actress * Rowan Bowles, Australian handbike cyclist * Rowan Hisayo Buchanan (born 1989), American writer * Rowan Cronjé (1937–2014), Rhodesian politician * Rowan Crothers (born 1997), Australian swimmer * Rowan Deacon, English director and filmmaker * Rowan Ellis, British YouTuber and author * Rowan Gomes (1962–2023), Antiguan basketball player * Rowan Pelling (born 1968), British editor and columnist <!-- * Rowan Slaughter (born 2006), American singer/songwriter : relevance? source? --> <!-- *Rowan Ward Smith (born 2005), Canadian teacher and lifeguard : relevance? source? --> * Rowan Rheingans, English folk musician, songwriter and vocalist * Rowan Vine (born 1982), English footballer * Rowan Williams (born 1950), Archbishop of Canterbury * Rowan Woods, Australian film director * William Rowan Hamilton (1805–1865), Irish mathematician
== Fictional characters == * Rowan, one of the two main protagonists in ''Fire Emblem Warriors'' * Rowan, the main character in Emily Rodda's ''Rowan of Rin'' fantasy books * Rowan Berry, played by Siobhan Thompson in ''The Unsleeping City'', the third season of ''Dimension 20''. * Rowan Damisch, one of the two main characters in the novel ''Scythe'' * Rowan Khanna, in the mobile game ''Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery'' * Rowan LaFontaine, in the film ''Jason X'' * Rowan Mayfair, in the ''Lives of the Mayfair Witches'' trilogy by Anne Rice * Rowan Mills, in NBC's ''The Blacklist'' * Rowan Morrison, in 1973 film ''The Wicker Man''
* Rowan North, the main antagonist of the 2016 ''Ghostbusters'' reboot * Rowan Omondi, a main character in Alice Oseman's ''I Was Born for This'' * Rowan Theirin (née Guerrin), in ''Dragon Age: The Stolen Throne'' by David Gaider * Rowan Whitethorn, in the ''Throne of Glass'' book series by Sarah J. Maas * Professor Rowan, in the ''Pokémon'' franchise * Lily Rowan, in the ''Nero Wolfe'' franchise by Rex Stout * Rosalie Rowan, in the ''DC Animated Universe'' * Rowan Segmunt, in the ''Re:Zero'' light novel series
== See also ==
* Rawan (disambiguation) * Rowen (disambiguation)
== References == <references />
{{given name|type=both}}
Category:English unisex given names Category:English-language surnames Category:English-language unisex given names Category:Given names derived from colors Category:Given names derived from plants or flowers Category:Irish unisex given names Category:Surnames of Irish origin Category:Feminine given names Category:Masculine given names