# Rowan (name)

Rowan (/ˈroʊən/) is a traditionally masculine Irish given name and surname, now also in use as a given name for girls. Variants of the name include Roan, Rohan, Ruadhán, and Ruadh. The name comes from the Irish surname Ó Ruadháin and from the word ruadh, meaning "red-haired" or "rusty." When used as a feminine name, it is often in reference to the tree, the name of which has Scandinavian origins. It is also an Arabic feminine name (روان) referring to a river in Paradise. The name shares the same roots as the names Raya, Rana, Rania and Rayan.
Notable people with the name include:

## Surname

* Andrew Summers Rowan (1857–1943), American army officer
* Archibald Hamilton Rowan (1751–1834), Irish celebrity and founding member of The Dublin Society of United Irishmen
* Athol Rowan (1921–1998), South African cricketer
* Barbara Ann Rowan (1938–2020), American attorney
* Carl Rowan (1925–2000), American journalist and author
* Chad Rowan (1969–2024), Akebono, Hawaiian sumo wrestler
* Sir Charles Rowan (c. 1782 – 1852), officer in the British Army and Commissioner of Police of the (London) Metropolis
* Dan Rowan (1922–1987), American actor and comedian, Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In
* Dave Rowan (1882–1955), Canadian baseball player
* Dawn Rowan (born 1946), Australian therapist
* Dominic Rowan (born 1970), English actor
* Ellis Rowan (1847–1922), Australian naturalist and illustrator
* Eric Rowan (1909–1993), South African cricketer
* Erick Rowan (born 1981), ring name of American wrestler Joseph Rudd
* Ev Rowan (1902–1956), American football player
* Ford Rowan, American television reporter, and panelist on Meet the Press
* George Rowan, Scottish footballer
* Henry Rowan (1923–2015), American philanthropist and engineer, namesake of Rowan University
* Jenny Rowan (born 1949), New Zealand politician
* John Rowan (disambiguation), several people
* Jonathan Rowan (born 1981), English footballer
* Joseph Rowan (1870–1930), US Representative from New York
* Kelly Rowan (born 1965), Canadian actress and model
* Leslie Rowan (1908–1972), British civil servant and industrialist
* Lou Rowan (1925–2017), Australian cricket umpire
* Louis R. Rowan (1911–1988), American businessman and racehorse owner and breeder
* Matthew Rowan (died 1769), acting governor of North Carolina, 1753–54
* Peter Rowan (born 1942), American bluegrass musician and composer
* Ron Rowan (born 1962), American basketball player
* Sheila Rowan (physicist) (born 1969), British physicist
* Stephen Clegg Rowan (1808–1890), American vice admiral
* William Rowan (1789–1879), British military commander

## Given name

* Saint Rowan, Irish abbot of the 6th century and one of the Apostles of Ireland
* Rowan Alexander, Scottish footballer and manager
* Rowan Atkinson (born 1955), English actor, comedian, and screenwriter
* Rowan Barrett (born 1972), Canadian basketball player in Israeli Basketball Premier League
* Rowan Bettjeman, New Zealander YouTuber, actor, director, and producer
* Rowan Blanchard (born 2001), American actress
* Rowan Hisayo Buchanan, American writer
* Rowan Crothers (born 1997), Australian swimmer
* Rowan Cronjé (1937–2014), Rhodesian politician
* Rowan Deacon, English director and filmmaker
* Rowan Ellis, British YouTuber and author
* Rowan Pelling (born 1968), British editrice and columnist
* Rowan Vine (born 1982), English footballer
* Rowan Williams (born 1950), Archbishop of Canterbury
* Rowan Woods, Australian film director
* William Rowan Hamilton (1805–1865), Irish mathematician

## Fictional characters

* Rowan, one of the two main protagonists in Fire Emblem Warriors
* Rowan, the main character in Emily Rodda's Rowan of Rin fantasy books
* Rowan Damisch, one of the two main characters in the novel Scythe
* Rowan Khanna, in the mobile game Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery
* Rowan LaFontaine, in the film Jason X
* Rowan Mayfair, in the Lives of the Mayfair Witches trilogy by Anne Rice
* Rowan Mills, in NBC's The Blacklist
* Rowan Morrison, in 1973 film The Wicker Man
* Rowan North, the main antagonist of the 2016 Ghostbusters reboot
* Rowan Omondi, a main character in Alice Oseman's I Was Born for This
* Rowan Theirin (née Guerrin), in Dragon Age: The Stolen Throne by David Gaider
* Rowan Whitethorn, in the Throne of Glass book series by Sarah J. Maas
* Professor Rowan, in the Pokémon franchise
* Lily Rowan, in the Nero Wolfe franchise by Rex Stout
* Rosalie Rowan, in the DC Animated Universe