Girl · #3,659 in 2026

Rowena

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.

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.

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.

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

The Story of Rowena

Rowena first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby girl name in 1880, with 8 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1917, when 224 Rowenas were born — ranking #429 that year. As of 2026, Rowena ranks #3,659 for baby girls 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

ME
WA
MT
ND
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WI
MI
NY
VT
NH
MA
OR
ID
SD
IA
IL
IN
OH
PA
NJ
CT
RI
CA
NV
WY
NE
MO
KY
WV
VA
MD
DE
DC
UT
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AR
TN
NC
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AK
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OK
LA
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AL
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Top 10
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500+
No data

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?
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.
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.

Similar Names

👧
Bell
Peak #423
👧
Ira
Peak #421
👧
Celina
Peak #423
👧
Daisie
Peak #423
👧
Verona
Peak #423
👧
Murphy
Peak #423
👧
Caryn
Peak #421
👧
Kisha
Peak #421

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.