Owain is a distinctive choice, ranked #1199 in 2024. Your child is likely to be the only Owain in their class.
💎
UK Rank 2024
#1199
About the Name Owain
Owain has seen a notable decline in recent years, dropping 88 places in five years. It was most popular in 2000 at #220 — parents choosing it today are making a deliberately counter-trend decision. The name has been a consistent presence in UK records since 1996.
Owain is distinctive enough that your child will likely be the only one in both their class and their school — standing out on every register.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about the name Owain
Unlikely. With around 23 UK babies named Owain per year, your child will almost certainly be the only Owain in his class, and possibly the only one in the whole school.
Owain has been declining in UK popularity, dropping 88 places in the last five years. Its peak was #220 in 2000. Choosing it now means he is likely to be among the last of his generation with this name.
Owain is a distinctive choice sitting outside the mainstream UK top names. Parents choosing less common names often find their children appreciate the individuality as they grow up, rarely needing to add an initial to distinguish themselves.
Notable people named Owain include: Owain Doull — Owain Daniel Doull is a Welsh road and track cyclist, who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam Visma–Lease a Bike.; Owain Gwynedd — Owain ap Gruffudd or Owain Gwynedd (Welsh pronunciation: [ˈoʊain ˈɡwɨnɛð]) was King of Gwynedd from 1137 until his death in 1170, succeeding his father...; Owain Yeoman — Owain Sebastian Yeoman is a Welsh actor, best known for playing CBI Agent Wayne Rigsby in the CBS series The Mentalist..
Owain does not appear in the US top 1,000 baby names, making it a distinctively British choice — your child is unlikely to encounter American Owains in the wild.
23
UK babies named Owain (2024)
< 1
Expected classmates with this name (class of 28)
~0.0
In a school of 600
↓ 88 places
Rank change (last 5 years)
🏫 Who else is in the room?
In a typical UK class of 28, highlighted children share the name Owain
Likely around 1 other Owain in the class
UK Popularity (1996–2024)
Rank and birth count · ONS official data
No US data available for this name
✨ Similar names to Owain
Names with a similar style — each with their own classroom story
Owain Daniel Doull is a Welsh road and track cyclist, who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam Visma–Lease a Bike. Doull specialises in the team pursuit on the track, and won a gold medal in the discipline at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro; as a result, he became the first Welsh-speaking athlete to win Olympic gold.
Owain ap Gruffudd or Owain Gwynedd (Welsh pronunciation: [ˈoʊain ˈɡwɨnɛð]) was King of Gwynedd from 1137 until his death in 1170, succeeding his father Gruffudd ap Cynan. He is known as Owain Gwynedd to distinguish him from the contemporary Powysian ruler, Owain Cyfeiliog, whose name was also Owain ap Gruffudd.
Owain ap Gruffudd Fychan or Owain Glyndŵr was a Welsh leader, soldier and military commander in the late Middle Ages, who led a 15-year-long Welsh revolt with the aim of ending English rule in Wales. He was an educated lawyer, forming the first Welsh parliament under his rule, and was the last native-born Welshman to claim the title Prince of Wales.
Owain ap Thomas ap Rhodri, commonly known as Owain Lawgoch (Welsh pronunciation: [ˈou̯ai̯n ˈlaːu̯ɡoːχ], 'red-handed Owain'), was a Welsh soldier who served in Lombardy, France, Alsace, and Switzerland. He led a Free Company fighting for the French against the English in the Hundred Years' War.
Owain Sebastian Yeoman is a Welsh actor, best known for playing CBI Agent Wayne Rigsby in the CBS series The Mentalist. His additional credits include The Nine, Kitchen Confidential, Turn (as Benedict Arnold), Generation Kill, and Emergence.