Name of the Week

^.


A heroic Welsh staple, borne by Arthurian knights, kings and saints,
in use for over a millennium and still going strong. 

 

Origin:

Owen is an anglicised form of the Old Welsh Ouein/Owein (modern Owain), cognate with the Irish Eoghan and Scottish Ewan.  There have been several etymologies proposed for the name over the centuries. One was that it was derived from the Welsh oen "lamb," while another that it was from the Irish eoghunn "youth." Given the name's longevity however, these both seem unlikely.  Most prevalent of all is the theory that Owain, Eoghan and Ewan are Celtic forms of Eugene, derived from the Greek Eugenios (eu + genos) "well born." All three forms were Latinised as Eugenius in medieval records, and earlier forms Ougein, Eugein, Euguen and Iguein also give weight to the theory.  Modern scholarship, however, now favours a Celtic origin for Owain, Eoghan and Ewan. Their reconstructed Proto-Celtic form of the name is Esugenios (which is actually cognate with the Greek Eugenios) made from the elements *wesu- “excellent” and *geno- “born.” This first element could be meant for Esus, a prominant Celtic god whose name was most likely derived from *wesu. Another theory currently gaining the most weight behind it, is that Owen derives from the Proto-Celtic *yewo- “yew” and *geno- “born.” The yew tree was a sacred tree to the Celts and several other names such as Ivar, Ivo and Iobhar also derive from this common route.

Usage:

Owen/Owain has had remarkably steady usage, having been used consistently for at least 1500 years. Legend has it that Owain Finddu (Black Lips), born c.355, was a son of the famous Emperor of Britain and Gaul, Magnus Maximus (Macsen Wledig) who became king of Mid-South Wales. One early notable bearer that is almost certainly historic is Owain Ddantgwyn (White Tooth), a 5th century king of Rhos in North Wales who some scholars have connected as the "real man" behind the legend of King Arthur. There is also Owein mab Urien (d. c. 595) the son of Urien, king of Rheged. He was incorporated into the Arthurian legends as Ywain/Yvain, the main character in Chrétien de Troyes's Yvain, the Knight of the Lion and the Mabinogian tale Owain, or the Lady of the Fountain. It wasn't only Wales where the name was in use. As the Celtic kingdoms were interconnected across the British isles in the early Middle Ages, we also find the name appearing in other kingdoms, sometimes with the form Owein/Eugein, Eoghan and Ewan interchanging. Eugein I was king of Aut Clut of Cumbria in the 7th century, while Owen I (Ywain) was a 10th century king of Strathclyde. Owen even counts among the saints names. St Owen (d.c.680), or Owin, was a Benedictine monk who served as chamberlain to Queen Etheldreda and studied under St Chad. He is often conflated with St Ouen (the Breton spelling of Owain), who also lived in the 7th century, and who was Archbishop of Rouen. Owain was very common in the Middle Ages and numerous Welsh royals bore the name: Owain ap Gruffydd (c.1100–1170), a king of Gwynedd, is considered one the most successful of all the north Welsh princes; Owain Cyfeiliog (c.1130-1197), was a prince of Powys and a notable poet; and then there is the great hero Owain Glyndŵr (1359–c. 1416), or Owen Glendower to the English, last Welshman to hold the title Prince of Wales who almost managed to beat the English for control of Wales. Owen was, from an early date, used as an anglicised spelling, but also arose as in South Wales from the habit of the colloquial dialect to change -ai to -e. It was used not only in Wales but also common in the Marches -- the Anglo-Norman borderlands of England and Wales. The Domesday Book of 1086 lists the name four times (spelt Ouen, Ouuin and Owine) in the areas of Cheshire, Derbyshire, Essex and Herefordshire. The popularity of the given name meant that several surname forms cropped up including Owen, Owens, Owenson, Owan, Howen and Bowen.  Data from The Surname Atlas. Click to enlarge According to Leslie Dunkling's rankings for England and Wales, Owen was #43 in 1700 and #49 a century later in 1800, demonstrating its consistency. Owen was #53 by 1860, #57 in 1870, #65 in 1880, #76 in 1890 and #88 in 1900.  Data from the 1881 UK census shows that, although Owen was most common in North Wales, it was quite well distributed across Britain.  Rank-wise, Owen declined below the top 100 in the mid 20th century. It was #94 in 1904, #98 in 1914, and #99 in 1924, after which it fell out of the top 100 until it returned to #99 in 1994.  However, Dunkling's data for the number of boys registered with the names Owen  in every 10,000 births in England and Wales shows that Owen maintained fairly good use, even picking up a bit in the 1970s:  1900 1925 1935 1950 1955 1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985  1990    6    2    6    4    2    7    6    5   14    2    10    14 In Scotland, Owen fluctuated in rank between #108 (1988) and #148 (1984) from 1974 to 1990 and first moved back into the top 100 in 1991 at #94. It rose steadily from that point, peaking at #33 in 2009.  In England and Wales, Owen moved swiftly and sharply from #100 in 1996 to #35 in 1999. It peaked at #31 in 2002 and has since been declining.  In 2013, Owen ranked #85 in England and Wales -- separately, #55 and #89 in Wales and England respectively. Owain was #91 in Wales but only #1286  in England.  Owen was also #70 in Scotland in 2014 and #118 in Northern Ireland.

Famous Bearers:

History: * Owain Ddantgwyn, 5th century prince of North Wales, proposed as possible candidate for the "real" King Arthur. * Owein mab Urien (d. circa 595), son of Urien, king of Rheged.  * Owain ap Gruffydd (c.1100–1170), a king of Gwynedd. * Owain Cyfeiliog (c. 1130 - 1197), prince of part of Powys and a notable poet.  * Owain Glyndŵr (1359–c.1416), last Welshman to hold the title Prince of Wales. * Owen Tudor (c. 1400–1461), grandfather of Henry VII and founder of the Tudor dynasty. * Owen Wister (1860–1938), American author. * Owen Davis (1874–1956), Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright.  * Sir Owen Willans Richardson (1879–1959), British physicist.  Contemporary: * Owen Wilson (b. 1968), American actor. * Owen Garvan (b. 1988), Irish footballer. Literature and Other Media: * Sir Yvain, a figure of Arthurian legend based on Owain mab Urien.  * Owen Lars, a character in the Star Wars universe, adopted uncle of Luke Skywalker. * Owen Meany, title character in John Irving's novel A Prayer For Owen Meany (1989). * Owen Hunt, a character in Grey's Anatomy. * Owen Harper, a character in Torchwood. Other: * Owen Falls, a waterfall on the Victoria Nile.

Variants:

Owain (Welsh), Eoghan (Irish), Ewan (Scottish)

Pronunciation:

Ō-ən [key]

Possible diminutives:

Owie

Sibling Names:

Eva     Lucy     Anna    Thea    Carys     Esme      Leo     Rhys     Ellis     Max     Dylan     Luke

Name Lists:

Slim Softies   Terrifically Tudor

 

If you like Owen you may also like:    Rory, Evan, Jowan, Ioan, Eoin, Rowen, Leon, Noah, Jonah, Lowen

 

Thanks to Dawn for requesting this post.