Rowan Family History

Irish: from Ó Ruadháin or Ó Ruaidhín both meaning ‘descendant of Ruadhán’ a personal name from a diminutive of ruadh ‘red’. See also Rooney. Irish: from Ó Ruadhacháin ‘son of Ruadhachán’ a personal name from a diminutive of ruadh ‘red’ (also used as a placename and Anglicized as Roughan).

Compare also Rogan (Ó Ruadhagáin) of which may be a variant both it and Ó Ruadhacháin being found in Ulster and Connacht. Irish: from Ó Robhacháin the name of a scattered ecclesiastical family found in Clare in the 16th and 17th centuries.

The personal name was earlier Reabhachán ‘skillful artful’. Scottish: variant of Rowland.

Rowand was a common Scottish pronunciation of Rowland giving the variants Rowand and Rowan.