Friend used our baby name (without knowing), should we pick a new name?

[rosewater20]

DP and I are expecting our first baby (a boy) in a couple of months. We have very different name preferences and have only been able to agree on the name Rowan. We wanted a name that is Irish in origin in honour of DP's family (the middle name will honour two of my relatives). We have gone through about every Irish name, and none of them felt right. We love the name Rowan and spent months referring to the baby by that name.

DP's best friend had a baby boy last week and named him "Rowan." We see this friend and his family about four times per year as they live a few hours away. However, DP's friendship group is very close and interconnected. They think it is odd that we are still considering using the name Rowan and have told us we should pick a different name.

I am of the opinion that no one owns a name and we can name him Rowan if we like. That being said, I am now slightly worried that the name might be too trendy?

The only other name that we seem to agree on is Kieran. But we don't love it as much as we love Rowan.

Do you think we should pick a different name now that DP's friend has named his son Rowan? Is Rowan too popular and trendy now? And are there other names of Irish origin that are similar to Rowan (I don't like Roan or Roman).

Help!

Agree with @LizzieAnt about it being an anglicised version of Ruadhán.
The name Rua is becoming popular, it is a diminutive of Ruadhán and is nice. Also means red (hair).

I am now worried that Rowan is too popular. I like Rohan, but we oddly have multiple friends with that name too. I like Ciaran but half of DP family are American, and we spend a lot of time in America for work, and I worried that people wouldn't know how to pronounce it? I also have a co-worker who I work closely with who has that name so that might be a bit odd.

Are there other Irish names that aren't popular but have the same feel or sound as Rowan (I will try out Eion and see how that feels)? I can start a new thread to ask but thought I would check here first.

As well as Ronan/Rónán, Eoin (which is an Irish form of John) or Eoghan mentioned earlier, there's Rory, the anglicized version of Ruairí (the latter is pronounced Roo-ree). Also you could check out 'Irish Gaelic boy names' by Bitesize Irish for names and pronunciations. Some of the names they include are rare outside Gaeltacht (Irish speaking) areas though.

I think they’ve done you a favour, since you want a name that is Irish and not trendy, as Rowan is not Irish and is trendy!

Having said that, it’s okay to change your criteria and go for the name you liked all along. Especially once you meet your baby, if he seems to suit Rowan. I’d come up with a short list to think about after he’s born, rather than set your heart on something, though.

I’d just use it OP.

Friends come and go but your little one will be with you the rest of your life. Think of it this way if for some reason you chose a different name and stopped being friends with that person within a year, will you be thinking oh man I wish we had used the name we loved after all?

Oh, OP, this is a bit of a pickle. I reckon if you like Rowan you should still go with it, but my own 2p on the Irish names front is Fionn, Oisín or Ferdia. Ferdia is particularly lovely.