Rowena
[roʊˈwiːnə]Meaning
uncertain; possibly Old English hro "fame" + wynn "joy"
Background Story
The name comes from Geoffrey of Monmouth's 12th-century Historia regum Britanniae, where Rowena is the daughter of the Saxon chief Hengist and wife of Vortigern. Its meaning is uncertain: attempts have been made to link it to unattested Old English or Common Brittonic elements, including hro "fame" and wynn "joy", but without real evidence. Walter Scott used the name for a character in Ivanhoe (1819), and it was revived after that.
Variations
Rowen, Roana
Related Names
Harold
From the Old English Hereweald, "army" and "powerful, mighty"
Roxana
From Old Iranian *rauxšnā, "bright, shining"
Alanis
The name means 'serenity' or 'peace'.
Alissa
Variant of Alyssa
Althea
From the greek name althaia, perhaps related to althos, "healing"
Amaris
No documented meaning in the sources checked
Andria
Georgian, Corsican and Sardinian form of Andrew
Aubrey
From Auberi, an Old French form of Alberich, brought to England by the Normans
Audree
English feminine given name, recorded as a variant of Audrey
Barina
An Australian Aboriginal word meaning "summit"