Rowen

Rowen is either a misspelling or an intentional respelling of Rowan. Rowan, in turn, is the anglicized form of an old Irish nickname, Rúadhán, from the Gaelic word for “red-haired” or “little red one”. The name was borne by a 6th century Irish saint in County Tipperary who has been venerated as one of Ireland’s Twelve Apostles. It was Saint Rúadhán’s legendary prophecy that the Celtic pagan king Diarmait would be killed by the roof-beam in the king’s estate at Tara. Superstitious, the king thus had the beam removed and cast into the sea. Unbeknownst to him, the beam had been retrieved from the sea and placed in another estate in Banbán. While on a circuit of Ireland, King Diarmait arrived at the hall in Banbán where the beam fell on him, killed him, and so Rúadhán’s prophesy was fulfilled. Saint Rúadhán’s place in Irish history or folklore helped to maintain the name’s successful usage for many, many centuries. It’s also a charming moniker that brings to attention certain physical attributes, in this case, red hair. From a historical perspective, Rowan has always been considered masculine but American parents are also using the name on their little girls (like Brooke Shields). Rowen is a new spelling that just emerged (it merely swaps the “a” for an “e”).