boy's name
Euan
YOO-an
- Origin Scottish
- Gender Boy
- Syllables 2
- Letters 4
- Popularity Rare
- Births on record 13,533
Scotland
#148
2024 births
Euan is a boy's name of Irish origin usually read as "born of the yew," and it is one of three separate names that collapse into Owen in English. It ranks 148th in Scotland.
- Euan is a name of Scottish origin.
- Peaked in Scotland in 1999, when 288 babies were given the name.
- It has been falling over the past decade in Scotland.
- Today about 1 in 1,230 babies in Scotland is given this name.
- First appears in birth records in 1974.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Euan over time
Births per decade in Scotland, 1970s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2024, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1970s | 523 |
| 1980s | 1,068 |
| 1990s | 1,929 |
| 2000s | 1,990 |
| 2010s | 932 |
| 2020s (to 2024) | 187 |
What Euan means
Euan is usually read as born of the yew, from eo, a yew tree, with an element meaning birth. A competing derivation makes it a borrowing of the Greek Eugenios, well-born, and the two have never been separated.
Where Euan comes from
Euan anglicizes the Scottish Gaelic Eòghann and the Irish Eoghan, whose derivation is contested between a native reading — eo, the yew, and gein, birth — and a borrowing of the Greek Eugenios that arrived with Latin Christianity. The yew was the longest-lived of the Irish sacred trees, which gives the native reading its appeal. What makes the name worth attention is the collision in English: the Gaelic Eoghan, the Welsh Owain and the Irish Eoin are three genuinely different names, and all three anglicize toward Owen. Euan, Ewan and Ewen are the Scottish spellings of the first, counted separately in every register. Ewan McGregor has carried one of them internationally since the 1990s.
Euan in use
Euan ranks 148th in Scotland with 31 births in 2024 and is falling in our data from a peak in 1999. Our records carry it from 1974. It holds 1,012th in England and Wales and is very rare in the United States at 6,184th. Ewan and Ewen rank separately in Scotland, and Ewen — oddly — ranks far higher in France than in Scotland.
How popular is Euan?
In 2024, Euan was given to 31 babies in Scotland, ranking #148 that year. It is a rare choice.
Where Euan is used
Figures for Scotland withhold any name given to fewer than three babies in a year, so a gap means the name fell below that floor rather than went unused. Data & sources.
Names that peaked alongside Euan
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Euan also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Euan over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
Euan in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
- Welsh
- Owen
Sibling names for Euan
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Euan — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Euan
What does the name Euan mean?
It is usually read as "born of the yew," though a borrowing of the Greek Eugenios is also proposed.
Is Euan the same as Ewan?
Yes — both anglicize the Gaelic Eòghann. Registers count Euan, Ewan and Ewen separately.
Why do so many names become Owen?
The Gaelic Eoghan, the Welsh Owain and the Irish Eoin are three different names that all anglicize toward it.
How popular is Euan?
148th in Scotland.
Is Euan a girl's or a boy's name?
Euan is given almost entirely to boys in birth records.
How many syllables are in Euan?
Euan has 2 syllables.
Is Euan a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Euan currently ranks #148 in Scotland. It has been falling over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.