The Name Owen: Its Origin and Legacy

Owen is a Welsh or old Irish name derived from Latin Eugenius meaning "Well-Born". Owen is pronounced O-en, or OH-en. The first syllable has more emphasis. The name is a variant of Eugene, and Gaelic variant for Eoghan. The meaning of the name in Welsh is young warrior, in Celtic it means young fighter. The word Originated as a loan word borrowed by the Welsh from the Latin and Greek before 500A.D.

The name was first found in Montgomery before the Norman Conquest and the arrival of Duke William at Hastings in 1066 A.D. Some of the first settlers of this family name or it's variants were Anne Owen and husband in Barbados in 1680, Edward Owen in Virginia in 1636, and Griffith Owen who settled in Pennsylvania with his family in 1686.

The Owen family has been prominent in the British Empire and in America. The U.S Marine Corp Headquarters reports that there were 103 Owens who served in the USMC during World War 1. For Several centuries the Owens lived in Wales. Most of the Welsh and (Owens) were and are of the protestant faith. In America at least 27% of Owens are Protestant.

In welsh families names are patronymics. This means that they indicate that the person is the "son of" or "descendent of" somebody. For Example Paul ab Owen in Welsh means "Paul the son of Owen". In English this relationship is indicated by the use of the possessive form ending in -s. Paul Owens means "Paul the son of Owen".

The name Owen can be spelled numerous ways usually depending on where it is being used. In the United States we spell it as "Owen" or "Owain". In France it is spelled "Ouin". In Denmark it is spelled "Ouen".

Owen is ranked the 60^th most popular name in the United States but it wasn't always the case. The name Owen took a drastic dip in popularity in the 1960's as compared to the 60 years previous. From 1994 to present day the name Owen increased drastically in popularity. Owen is very popular in Canada, England (Wales), and Scotland but Canada took the lead in popularity in 2001.

The name Owen wasn't even on the map in Australia until 2003. In 1998 it was the year of Owen in the United States; the name was ranked number 17 that year. There are 39,465 people in the United States with first name of Owen. In Britain 69,870 people share the Surname Owen and is the 95^th most common name there.

There are many cities, townships , streets, etc. in the United States named Owen. There is a city named Owen in Indiana, Wisconsin, and in Wyoming. There is a city named Owendale in Michigan, and a city named Owens in Ohio, Texas and West Virginia. This shows the esteem the name Owen has in the United States.

There are some famous Owens' here in America. Most recently the name Owen appeared in the news and not for a notable cause but rather for a suicide attempt. Owen Wilson is an actor who had roles in Armageddon, Zoolander, and Behind Enemy Lines. He was born in 1968 during a time when the name was not that popular. He was raised in Dallas Texas. Owen is also one of the main characters in Shakespeare's play Henry IV. Michael Owen is a well known English football player who plays for Newcastle United. Owen Glendower was a 14^th Century Welsh Chieftan who fought unsuccessfully for independence from England.

Anyone with the name Owen first or last should be proud to have the name, since it carries with it a legacy of fighters. Those who have the name bear no burden but that of having to live up to the legacy.