Owen
A Welsh and Irish surname from a very old personal name, long associated with descent from a man called Owen or Eoghan.
The #543 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 5,010 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Owen is chiefly a surname formed from a personal name used in Wales and Ireland. In Welsh it reflects Owein or Owen, and in Irish it corresponds to Eoghan / Eogan; older scholars often linked these names to Latin Eugenius and ultimately to Greek roots meaning well-born or noble. Some 19th-century writers also suggested a connection with Welsh oen, meaning 'lamb,' but that explanation is usually treated as a later folk etymology rather than the main origin.
History
The name became common as a hereditary surname in Wales through patronymic use, and many English-language Owens descend from Welsh or Irish ancestors. Lower noted in the 19th century that most bearers were Welsh, while also allowing that a few may reflect older Saxon personal-name forms in England. Related surnames such as Bowen preserve the older patronymic pattern 'ap Owen' ('son of Owen').
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The related Welsh surname Bowen comes from 'ap Owen,' literally 'son of Owen.'
From the historical record
“loth-cent. Latin charter as Ufinctun. OWEN. The Welsh and Irish Anglicized Owen, O.Wel. Owein = Ir. Eoghan (O.Ir. Eogan) = Gael. Edghann are prob. from Lat. Eiigenius, Gr. Bfryei/^s = WELL-BciRN [Gr. eS-, noble -f- 7^yos, race, descent] Cormac's Glossary gives this, origin for £o^a« (one MS. Eo^en) ; and Zimmer…”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)Notable people named Owen
- Michael Owen (b. 1979)
- Robert Owen (1771–1858)
- Richard Owen (1804–1892)
Sourced from Wikidata; linked to their Wikipedia page.