Thoughts on Rowan for a baby girl?

[Chocokim]

Hello! We are a Korean-British couple and we need a name for our baby girl, who is due this autumn.

We've been looking for a name that sounds lovely in both Korean and English and we quite like 'Rowan' atm.

It means 'paving the way' in Korean and it’s also androgynous. But many of our British colleagues have said that it sounds more like a boy's name - and of course, they've all mentioned Mr Bean.

I'm wondering how it would sound to young British people..!

I like it very much.
I know both boys and girls called Rowan well, men and women, they are all adults!

I like it
I actually think of it as a girl's name
But yes it can be either

I actually associate it with The Wicker Man, the character was female.

Its a fairly popular name now days so I think the rowan Atkinson link is reducing

I really like it for a girl and think it would be completely uncontroversial as a name.

Its a favourite of mine

I think it's lovely especially as it has meaning in Korean.

I love it

I love it and think it's one of only a few genuinely ungendered names.

I know a girl Rowan, she goes by Rowannne which I think is lovely (although you do risk people pronouncing it literally Row Anne)

Edited to add she went by the name Rosie as a little one which is a cute NN!

I love it and think of it as more a girl's name than a boy's. Although there are at least 2 pronunciations so be sure you like both Rou-Wan (rou as in round) and Row-an (row like rowing a boat).

I like it, I think it’s more often a boy’s name in the UK but it sounds unisex and also lovely for a girl.
It’s nice that it works in Korean too.
I guess the more female version in the UK is Rowena but I don’t think that’s as nice

Yep! Technically most plant/nature names should fall under this umbrella as they have no gender but flower names do tend to lean to the girl side.

Things like Sage, Brook, Forest, River etc should all be pretty unguessable in terms of gender.

I like Rowan and I think it's fine for a boy or girl.

Baby name explorer
Far more popular for boys than girls, but it is OK for either.

https://names.darkgreener.com/#rowan

About 1200 boys were called Rowan in 2024 and around 100 girls, so it’s definitely more used for boys at the moment. However, I like it for both.

Beautiful ♥️

I love it. I know both male and female Rowans and think it's one of the few unisex names that genuinely works for both.
I also love Rowenna for a girl (Row - EN - uh) but I would worry about people mispronouncing it her whole life! (I'm less keen on Rowena pn Row EEN uh)

I think it's lovely! I know of both a girl and a boy Rowan.

It’s a beautiful name for a little girl or boy . It always reminds me of the beautiful Rowan tree , I think its other name is mountain Ash but always known as a Rowan tree in Ireland . It has an abundance of beautiful red berries , it’s not very big but strong and built to survive storms. If you believe there’s power in a name you couldn’t choose better. Congratulations ❤️

Gorgeous. I love it for a girl or boy.

Lovely.

I know both male and female Rowans. It’s a great name

It's a beautiful name that won't age. It was always a girl's name in my day but I guess things have changed. It's after the Rowan tree which produces beautiful berries. It's a good, strong name. Go for it.

Yes, Rowan can be for a girl or a boy, it's a lovely name.

When I was a little girl, we lived for a couple of years next door to a family who had a daughter called Rowena. I remember her name being so lovely.

I like it.

Check how it goes with the surname. Something like Rowan Wood or Rowan Court might sound like a residential street.

Lovely. I prefer it for a girl.