Baby Names US
girls' name ★ peaked 1917

Rowena

Gender Girl Rank 2025 #4,441 Trend ↑ Rising 11%

From the name of the daughter of Hengist and wife of Vortigern in Geoffrey of Monmouth's 12th century pseudohistorical Latin work Historia regum Britanniae.

Rank 2025
#4,441
among girls · ↓1,114 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
32
named Rowena · -33% vs 2024
How common
1 in 50,227
girls born in 2025
Peak year
1917
224 babies
All-time total
10,526
#1,604 all-time among girls
First recorded
1880
in Social Security records

Rowena popularity over time

10,526 babies have been named Rowena since 1880, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
0.060.130.190.2518801900192019401960198020002020Peak 1917Girls

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Per year Change Best rank
1880s 160 16 – #432
1890s 354 35 +121% #429
1900s 406 41 +15% #499
1910s 1,412 141 +248% #429
1920s 1,774 177 +26% #477
1930s 1,481 148 -17% #494
1940s 1,056 106 -29% #643
1950s 1,268 127 +20% #729
1960s 960 96 -24% #883
1970s 566 57 -41% #1,403
1980s 391 39 -31% #1,860
1990s 163 16 -58% #4,611
2000s 127 13 -22% #6,760
2010s 168 17 +32% #4,751
2020s (to 2025) 240 40 +138% #3,130

Where Rowena is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 girls (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 girls Implied rank
2026 33 0.02 outside top 500
2027 34 0.02 outside top 500
2028 35 0.02 outside top 500
2029 35 0.02 outside top 500
2030 36 0.02 outside top 500

The story of Rowena

Rowena is rare for girls in the United States, ranked #4,441 in 2025 with 32 babies given the name. It is currently rising compared with a decade ago.

Since 1880, 10,526 American babies have been named Rowena. Its peak came in 1917, when 224 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1910s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Rowena stood among all girls' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Rowena?

The median living Rowena is about 64 years old; half are between 47 and 75. An estimated 4,700 people named Rowena are alive in the United States today.

median 64 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Rowena year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank
2025 32 #4,441
2024 48 #3,327
2023 37 #4,031
2022 39 #3,881
2021 33 #4,310
2020 51 #3,130
2019 28 #4,879
2018 29 #4,751
2017 22 #5,792
2016 19 #6,626
2015 12 #9,384
2014 14 #8,408
2013 11 #10,124
2012 11 #10,295
2011 15 #8,124
2010 7 #14,670
2009 14 #8,794
2008 12 #9,959
2007 10 #11,463
2006 15 #8,156
2005 18 #6,760
2004 14 #8,145
2003 6 #15,367
2002 12 #8,724
2001 11 #9,235
2000 15 #7,082
1995 11 #7,956
1990 21 #4,652
1985 38 #2,582
1980 59 #1,860
1975 61 #1,621
1970 55 #1,696
1965 91 #1,106
1960 111 #1,024
1955 135 #837
1950 98 #897
1945 89 #801
1940 121 #643
1935 122 #590
1930 159 #540
1925 170 #551
1920 194 #495
1915 182 #459
1910 55 #558
1905 27 #695
1900 42 #523
1895 41 #451
1890 28 #497
1885 20 #483
1880 8 #670

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Rowena, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Rowena?

The median living Rowena is about 64 years old. Half of all living Rowenas are between 47 and 75 years old.

How many people named Rowena are alive today?

An estimated 4,700 people named Rowena are alive in the United States, based on 10,526 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Rowena mean?

From the name of the daughter of Hengist and wife of Vortigern in Geoffrey of Monmouth's 12th century pseudohistorical Latin work Historia regum Britanniae.

How popular is the name Rowena in 2025?

Rowena ranked #4,441 among girls' names in the United States in 2025, with 32 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Rowena?

10,526 babies have been named Rowena in the United States since 1880, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Rowena most popular?

Rowena peaked in 1917, when 224 newborns received the name.

Is Rowena a boy or girl name?

Rowena is overwhelmingly a girl's name: 100% of babies with the name.

Is the name Rowena rising or falling?

Rowena is on the rise, noticeably more popular now than a decade ago.

Will Rowena become more popular?

Rowena is trending upward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 36 girls named Rowena in 2030, which would rank outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Names like Rowena

Names that sound and feel close to Rowena: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Rowena with similar names → More names starting with R →