Owen

Owen is most often considered the Celtic/Welsh equivalent of Eugene from the Latin Eugenius, ultimately derived from the Greek “eugenēs” (Ευγενιος) meaning “well-born”. The Welsh first developed Ougein/Owain from the Old Irish-Gaelic Eogan (Owen is the modern Welsh form of the name). It was the Norman-French who brought the name Eugene to England after the Conquest of 1066. Eugenius was borne by a few early saints and four popes who helped popularize the name in earlier medieval times (see Eugene for more detail). Owen is also theorized to be derived from Eòghann, an Irish name connected with an older Celtic meaning “born of the yew”. The yew tree was sacred to the ancient Celts and revered almost as highly as the oak. They believed the yew symbolized immortality and had certain mystical power (which is perhaps why we often see the word “youth” associated with Owain in our research – from the Proto-Indo-European root *i̯eu- meaning "vital force, youthful vigor"). Indeed, Owain is an illustrious name in Welsh history borne by several royal members of various kingdoms. The most familiar Owain, however, is the one who appears in Arthurian legends – Sir Owain was one of the famed Knights of the Round Table and the husband of the Lady of the Fountain (see literary references below). Sir Owain’s legends were drawn from a real historical figure named Owain mab Urien, a Celtic prince of a northern English kingdom who battled against the Angles in the late 6th century. No matter what the etymology, one thing we can say for certain: Owen is all Welsh. Today Owen remains a top choice in Wales, but it is actually most popular in Canada. It’s also a crowd-pleaser in the United States and Ireland.