Owen comes from the first name Owain which is a first Welsh name of great antiquity. It’s always been a popular first name in Wales, being the name of princes and leaders, perhaps most famously Owain Gwynedd and Owain Glyndwr. The surname has changed to Owen because of the anglicised colloquial pronunciation although Owain is still also used. Owens is also common as is Bowen which develops from ab Owen (son of Owen).
Famous people with the Welsh surname Owen / Owain include :
Owain Glyndŵr – Although his first name rather than surname, he is an Owain that is difficult to ignore. He was a Welsh ruler and the last native Welshman to hold the title Prince of Wales. He instigated a long-running revolt against Norman rule of Wales. Glyndwr pioneered Guerilla warfare as we know it today, and as such was a model for later thinkers, the most notable being Che Guevara and Fidel Castro. Glyndŵr was last seen in 1412 and was never captured nor tempted by royal pardons and never betrayed. His final years are a mystery.
Robert Owen – Welsh social reformer and philanthropist, founder of socialism and the cooperative movement.
Johnny Owen – During his brief career, the boxer from Merthyr Tydful held the Bantamweight Championships of Britain and Europe and became the first ever Welsh holder of the Bantamweight Championship of the Commonwealth. He died in a twelfth round knockout while challenging champion and Mexican Lupe Pintor for his version of the World Bantamweight title in Los Angeles in September 1980.
Nigel Owens – A Welsh international rugby union referee and one of the first known rugby referees to come out as gay.