Rowan Surname Meaning & Origin
What the Rowan last name means, where the surname began and how it spread.
Order your pack and our heraldry team researches and paints the Rowan coat of arms for you.
Meaning and origin of the Rowan last name
Meaning of the Rowan last name: red-haired (Irish), or from Roland (Scots). The Rowan surname has two main roots. In Ireland it comes from Ó Ruadháin, from ruadh, "red", probably for red hair; it is also spelled Ruane and belongs to Mayo and Galway. In Lowland Scotland the last name is a form of Rolland, from the first name Roland. A curious detail: this family name meaning has nothing to do with the rowan tree, despite the spelling.
Arms associated with the Rowan name
Irish heraldry blends Gaelic and Anglo-Norman traditions, and coats of arms associated with the Rowan surname draw on both, each set out in a short blazon.
Get your full Rowan family history
This is only a glimpse of the Rowan story. The full Rowan history report goes much deeper into where the name began, who carried it and how the family spread, and it comes with a museum-style painted Rowan coat of arms. Get the full Rowan report.
Rowan name FAQ
What does the Rowan name mean?
Red-haired (Irish), or from Roland (Scots). Common variants include Ruane, Rowand, Roan.
Where does the Rowan surname come from?
It originates in Ireland, and is also found in the United States, England and Scotland.
Is there a Rowan coat of arms?
Arms were granted to individuals rather than to everyone with a surname. Herald Lab paints a personalized Rowan coat of arms in museum style, based on historic heraldry.
Sources: Patrick Woulfe, Sloinnte Gaedheal is Gall: Irish Names and Surnames (1923); George F. Black, The Surnames of Scotland (New York Public Library, 1946); Dictionary of American Family Names (Oxford).