Girl · #3,659 in 2026

Rowena

Name: Popularity of the name Rowena in U.S. births, 1880–2026
Creator: U.S. Social Security Administration
License: https://www.ssa.gov/foia/
Keywords: Rowena, baby name, popularity, U.S., SSA, rankings

Rowena in the Matter of Britain was the daughter of the purported Anglo-Saxon chief Hengist and wife of Vortigern, "King of the Britons". Presented as a beautiful femme fatale, she won her people the Kingdom of Kent through her treacherous seduction of Vortigern. Contemporary sources are nearly non-existent, so it is impossible to know if she actually existed.

English

Current Rank

#3,659

Peak Rank

#422 (1917)

Total Babies

11K

5-Yr Trend

+27%

1880

First Year

2026

Last Year

1917

Peak Year

#422

Peak Rank

11K

Total Count

147

Years Active

Meaning & Origin of Rowena

What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →

Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)

English

The Story of Rowena

American parents first put Rowena on the record books as a baby girl name in 1880, with 8 registered babies. Its peak popularity came in 1917, when 224 Rowenas were born — ranking #429 that year. In the latest 2026 data it stands at #3,659 among baby girl names with 42 births, rising sharply (+27% over the past five years). In total, more than 11K Rowenas have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1880s through the 2020s.

Popularity Over Time

Popularity by State

Top 10

11-50

51-100

101-500

500+

No data

Variants & Related Forms of Rowena

Foreign forms, alternate spellings, and nicknames that share roots with Rowena. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.

Rowina

Names that sound like Rowena

Phonetically similar names — useful when Rowena is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.

Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.

Frequently Asked Questions about Rowena

What does the name Rowena mean?

What is the origin of the name Rowena?

Rowena has roots in the following cultural and linguistic traditions: English.

How popular is Rowena in 2026?

In 2026, Rowena ranks #3,659 among girls' names in the U.S., with 42 babies given the name that year.

When was Rowena most popular?

Rowena reached its peak popularity in 1917, ranking #422 that year with 224 babies given the name.

In which U.S. states is Rowena most popular?

Rowena has historically been most popular in Hawaii, Utah, Maine. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Rowena.

Is Rowena a unisex name?

In U.S. Social Security records, Rowena is primarily a girl's name. We don't have meaningful data for it as a boy's name.

What names go well with Rowena?

Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Rowena include Bell, Ira, Celina. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.

What are nicknames or variants of Rowena?

Common variants and related forms of Rowena include Rowina. These cover foreign-language equivalents, alternate spellings, and short forms.

About the name Rowena

Rowena is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1880 and has accumulated 11K births in the dataset. Rowena's peak popularity came in 1917 when it ranked #422. Use the chart and map above to compare Rowena's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.

Continue exploring

Data sources

Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .

Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.