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Baby names

Find baby name inspiration and advice on the Mumsnet Baby Names forum.

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Original poster

Rowan for a boy?

22 replies

papillonrouge · 03/04/2011 09:44

Love the name Rowan for a boy but wasn't brave enough with DS1. Have mentioned it to a few people who think of it as a girl's name. Thoughts?

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burmesegrumbler · 03/04/2011 09:46

Lovely name! I had a friend at school with a little brother called Rowan.

cyberfairy · 03/04/2011 09:47

I have called my boy Rowan-he is eight weeks old and so far no one has commented on it being a girly name-in fact my female friend of the same name gets fed up of being assumed male when booking hotels etc online.

Original poster

papillonrouge · 03/04/2011 09:50

Great! Also meant to ask - do you think of it as being Irish? To begin with I kept thinking of Ronan Keating but have got over that now I think. It now makes me think of nature.

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cyberfairy · 03/04/2011 10:03

The slightly mad lady yesterday who started talking to me about my baby explained his name to her son-'he's called Ro-han-like the outdoor shop'.

Original poster

papillonrouge · 03/04/2011 10:09

Ha ha - oh well, you're always going to get some random reactions eh? It is a beautiful name and I'm pretty sure we will go for it if dc2 a boy.

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cyberfairy · 03/04/2011 10:13

My brother made some comment about Mr Bean and the archbishop being a distinguished combination to name my child after but he was rude about every name I suggested...
I think it is a lovely name-the Rowan tree is said to be sacred and ward off evil spirits plus I like the Scottish connotations as my boyfriend's family are from there-and it's also a name albeit belonging to a female in my favourite film, The Wicker Man!
Go for it

LiquoriceLila · 03/04/2011 10:30

I like it and I'd think of it as more of a boys name anyway.

Snowdropfairy · 03/04/2011 10:31

I like the name Rowan and i think its both a girls and a boy's name.

Its on our short list too

purepurple · 03/04/2011 10:31

Love it, a bit different without being wacky.

LetThereBeRock · 03/04/2011 11:04

It's a beautiful name,and imho most definitely a boy's name.

Trinaluce · 03/04/2011 11:23

I love it, definitely a boy's name. DH vetoed it though as he knew a snotty little toerag of that name and couldn't lose the association :(

BuntyPenfold · 03/04/2011 12:59

This name was mentioned on here very recently. I have a Rowan Elizabeth and we know 5 other Rowans altogether, all girls and 3 of them are Rowan Elizabeth.

However, if someone showed me their baby boy and had called him Rowan, I would not be so rude as to say 'It's a girls name.' I would think it though.

Rohan is much more boyish I think.

upahill · 03/04/2011 13:02

I know a few lads with this name and I rather like it.
The nearest similiar name I know for a girls is Rowena. I like that as well.

SolarPanel · 03/04/2011 17:30

I think of it as a unisex name but prefer it for a girl.

ColonelBrandonsBiggestGroupie · 03/04/2011 17:34

I love it for a boy and hate it for a girl. DD1 would have been it but she decided to be a dd instead!

ColonelBrandonsBiggestGroupie · 03/04/2011 17:35

And I meant dd2, not dd1 - although dd1 was also a dd and so couldn't have been Rowan!

Original poster

papillonrouge · 03/04/2011 17:48

Wonderful, thanks all so far...it seems the majority think it is a good boy's name. Just out of interest bunty which part of the country do you live in?

Think I'm decided though, if this DC is a boy then Rowan it is...phew, I was honestly so worried about boys' names after the trouble we had naming DS1 that I was praying that the second would be a girl for that reason alone!

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flowery · 03/04/2011 17:50

DS1 is Rowan; it's a fab name for a boy and we got loads of comments about what a lovely name it is when he was born.

Hope88 · 03/04/2011 18:15

My husband is Rowan. He never had any problems.

There are other men. Rowan Atkinson, Rowan Williams

Cannot image a girl with this name.

Hope88 · 03/04/2011 18:15

meant imagine

smashingtime · 03/04/2011 20:34

To me it's a boys name and lovely as a male name but I know it can be popular for girls too.

Don't use it if you would worry about unisex names. My ds has a unisex name and has taken a while for me to stop worrying about it!

BuntyPenfold · 03/04/2011 23:05

I live in Devon, but two of the Rowans we know are Scottish.

We have a rowan tree the same age, which is nice. It has been dug up and moved with house moves four times but still flourishes.

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