Rowan/Roan - BOY

iVillage Member
Registered: 12-09-2005
Rowan/Roan - BOY
6
Fri, 05-19-2006 - 8:25am
I saw a poll on the other names board about Roan/Rowan on a boy, and I have become quite interested in it. What are everyone's thoughts on this name for a BOY? Which spelling is better- Rowan or Roan? And also, does anyone know anything about the meaning/origin? Any thoughts on this are appreciated!
Oh, and can it be a nn for anything?

                             
iVillage Member
Registered: 02-05-2004
Fri, 05-19-2006 - 9:36am
I tend to think of Rowan as a girl name b/c of Brooke Shield's little girl. As for Roan, I guess I would think girl and could be short for Veronna/Veroana or Rowena. If you're thinking of these for a boy, I would suggest Roman for a stronger more masculine name, or even Ronan (as in the Tenor Ronan Tynon). Not sure of the origin for either Rowan or Roan.
iVillage Member
Registered: 01-21-2005
Fri, 05-19-2006 - 9:58am

According to my baby name book, Rowan is English and means: red haired, adorned.

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iVillage Member
Registered: 05-17-2006
Fri, 05-19-2006 - 10:30am
I like Rowan because I think people might pronounce "Roan" as "Rone." Could be wrong, but that's my opinion. Rowan is unique but doesn't sound too trendy. I like.
iVillage Member
Registered: 10-14-2005
Fri, 05-19-2006 - 11:06am

Well, Rowan is my #1 name for a girl, but I like it quite a bit on a boy too. The origin is the Gaelic word ruadh which means "red" and the diminuative suffix "an", so it means "little red one". It can also be after the Rowan tree, which has been a popular subject of folklore and mythology for centuries.


Rowan is still much more popular with boys than girls, but it's not really "popular" with either. It's ranked 441 for boys and 766 for girls. It's been steadily growing each year for boys, but it only appeared on the charts in 2003 for girls, shot up for one year and is starting to fall again. Due to the origin ("little red one" could easily refer to a boy or a girl) and lack of popularity for either sex, I consider it very much a unisex name. It leans more toward the boys at the point, but I'm not sure if it will continue that way long term. I very much hope it doesn't grow much in popularity for either sex.


I prefer the Rowan spelling to Roan, but only just slightly. I think both are very nice. I also really love the similar-sounding Ronan, which means "little seal" from the



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iVillage Member
Registered: 04-22-2006
Fri, 05-19-2006 - 11:51am
Roan was on my top list for a boy on this site. I haven't gotten much feed back when I asked the same question. Personally I like Roan on a boy rather then Rowan. The w spelling is also being choosen a lot for girls. I know Roan is Irish meaning red haired, but I love the name for a boy and think it goes great with my sons name which is Weston.

 

 

iVillage Member
Registered: 04-28-2003
Fri, 05-19-2006 - 12:50pm
Rowan is a fantastic boys name, IMO. On my short list for this last baby was Rowan/Ronan/Roman. Alas we had a girl so it was not to be. It is much more popular for boys than girls, although not horribly common for either. I prefer the Rowan spelling to Roan, it looks too much like moan to me I guess.