Rowan is an Irish surname, from the Gaelic Ó Ruadháin, and means "little red one" or "red-haired"; it is also the English name of the rowan tree with its bright red berries. The name is used for both boys and girls, but in the United States it is given more often to boys. Rowan ranked number 972 in the United States in 2000, rose from number 219 in 2015 into the top 100 in 2022 and reached number 59 among boys in 2025, its best rank so far.