Rowena

Rowena! The laughter and boundless imagination of childhood... I don't know why this beautiful name has been understood to mean something cruel and evil, seemingly for no reason. In my mind's eye, Rowena is a spirited red-haired girl frolicking amidst the English countryside, finding magic in the everyday and penning down thoughts and dreams to weave tales that will undoubtedly ensnare the hearts of anyone who will listen. As she roams the meadows and woodlands, she is accompanied by a menagerie of creatures who are drawn to her gentle spirit and kind heart, and she is somewhat of a mystery to the village children, her eyes glimmering with secrets untold. She will go home to share her tales of encounters with fairies and sprites, unicorns and dragons and all manner of magic and whimsy. Gentle and noble Rowena must be, and certainly not villainous.

It’s OK but I find the consecutive “r” and “w” sounds difficult to say, unfortunately.

Pretty name!

Not of my favorites, but Rowena is an unusual, interesting name. Feels something off about it, but still okay.

Low-key dated. Sounds mildly unattractive.

I like it pronounced "Row-when-uh".
Rowena is a beautiful name.

I think Rowena is a beautiful name and I always think of Rowena Ravenclaw. I associate it with strength, beauty and wisdom.

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My sister's name is Rowenna (Row-WHEN-a) and she's not a fan of it. She's gone through life with her name mispronounced and made fun of, poor kid. She goes by Row usually and I call her Wen sometimes. We called her Wenna or Wennie as a baby. My sister is beautiful, she is petite with blonde hair and big brown eyes. Her name suits her because she is one of a kind. She has a huge heart and is a strong and caring woman. She loves animals, she would go out of her way to help almost anyone and she is confident and quick-witted.

My name is Rowena and it is a beautiful name but people say it means something evil and cruel.

My name is Rowena. Pronounced "Row-EE-na".
I wasn't a huge fan of it when I was younger and my sisters called me Weena for years.
I was nicknamed Rowie (pronounced "Roh-wee) when I was born and personally I love this name.
It's unusual and nobody gets it right the first time but I don't know any other Rowena/ Rowie's!
I receive compliments on my name and people are always asking where it originates from.

So beautiful. I imagine a queen or a noble woman when I hear this name. A pity it isn't used nowadays.

This is my middle name (I'm English, born early 80s) and I began using it as my main name almost a decade ago due to its beauty and mysterious historical origins. I pronounce it ro-WEN-na purely because it sounds more elegant than ro-WEE-na. Family and friends often shorten it to 'Row' (pronounced 'roe') for ease of use, though I'd rather they didn't as that totally eradicates the beauty of the sound.

This name is so pretty. There's a beautiful place called Rowena Crest in Oregon, its incredible.

This name is really lovely, and I love the Ravenclaw connection. If I ever use this for a daughter, though, I might spell it Rowenna, so it would be pronounced ro-EN-na, which I find a bit more appealing.

So the name 'Rowena' was chosen by my mother, who was reading Sir Walter Scott's Ivanhoe at the time. If you're thinking of naming you daughter this, consider these points carefully:

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1. For much of highschool, my nickname was Weiner, or Weinder-dog. Charming.

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2. It has the word 'Wee' in it.

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3. My current nickname is 'Ravenclaw' from the Harry Potter novels.

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4. People always spell it wrong.

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If you still like the sound of the name, perhaps change the spelling, or just use a different nickname. I got 'Rena' which I didn't mind.

Rowena's beautiful! So much nicer and prettier than Rowan, in my opinion. It's gorgeous.

I think this name is wonderful, I think it's really nice and feminine. Yes, a really nice name, one that would suit any age. :)

This name reminds me of Evil, Despair, Digression, and bad things happening. That's just me though.

Wow. Well that's depressing. I personally love this name; I like many names that start with "R" (excluding Rachel). Like a previous user said, it sounds beautiful and mysterious, and, yes, a little dark as well. But still pretty.

I like Rowena. If I get a daughter I will probably name her Rowena, and call her Rowan/Rowen. I think it's a tough name, and still very feminine.

I love this name because it's uncommon and it sounds mysterious.

I think most people on this website are American. Am I right? I guess that's why nobody has commented on the fact that the name includes the word 'wee' . Which is really quite off-putting especially if you're English.

We Americans use that word too (usually redoubled, as is often the case with you, in my experience).

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Just what word do you use for the first person plural nominative pronoun. Does the word "we" put you off too?

Well this is my name, I love it, whenever people ask my name their response is always 'oh how lovely and rare'! It's fantastic!

Rowena isn't a bad name at all, kind of pretty. I pronounce it ro-WEE-na.