Best spelling for Ro-an?

See the results of this poll: Which spelling do you prefer for a name that is to be pronounced RO-an

Respondents: 62 (This poll is closed)

  • Roan : 2 (3%)
  • Rowan : 59 (95%)
  • Either: 1 (2%)

I voted for [name_u]Rowan[/name_u], as I’ve only heard [name_u]Roan[/name_u] pronounced to rhyme with stone.

For me, [name_u]Rowan[/name_u], definitely. The spelling of [name_u]Roan[/name_u] makes me want to pronounce it like moan.

I agree with the posters above - every time I’ve ever heard [name_u]Roan[/name_u], it’s been pronounced in a way that rhymes with phone, tone, etc. For the pronunciation that you’re going for, I would recommend spelling it [name_u]Rowan[/name_u].

I think [name_u]Rowan[/name_u] is most straight forward. It’s intuitive for people to pronounce [name_u]Roan[/name_u] rhyming with stone because of the word “Roam” which would be too close to your son’s name for people to automatically pronounce the two differently. Using these just as examples, [name_u]Rowan[/name_u] White or [name_u]Rowan[/name_u] [name_m]Wilder[/name_m] both look just fine to me! Other alternatives to the same pronounciation would be [name_u]Rohan[/name_u] or Rohen. Both legitimate spellings and pronounced “[name_f]Ro[/name_f]-an”. Have you considered either of those?

Definitely [name_u]Rowan[/name_u], I say [name_u]Roan[/name_u] to rhyme with stone.

I would choose [name_u]Rohan[/name_u] (with an H) for that pronunciation, but otherwise [name_u]Rowan[/name_u].

Yeah, they look great but then our name ends with a -an as well so maybe that repetition is what bothers me. And that a close friend named her son [name_u]Owen[/name_u]…

Other alternatives to the same pronounciation would be [name_u]Rohan[/name_u] or Rohen. Both legitimate spellings and pronounced “[name_f]Ro[/name_f]-an”. Have you considered either of those?

I have thought of [name_u]Rohan[/name_u] but I fear that people would pronounce it with an audible H - eg ro-han.

I much prefer with an h.

[name_u]Rohan[/name_u].

Looks awesome like that.

[name_u]Rowan[/name_u] is better than [name_u]Roan[/name_u] though. [name_u]Roan[/name_u] rhymes with loan and groan.

[name_u]Rowan[/name_u] for me! It just seems like the instinctual spelling. Plus, I love [name_u]Rowan[/name_u] to death. :wink:

[name_u]Roan[/name_u] I’ve heard pronounced either RONE or [name_f]RO[/name_f]-an, but I can’t unsee RONE. I’m not a huge fan of [name_u]Rohan[/name_u], although it could work. I’m just biased in favor of [name_u]Rowan[/name_u], though! I love it. It’s a gorgeous name.

ETA: I think a surname that starts with “W” and ends in “N” would sound fine with Rowan, for what it’s worth:

Rowan Wilson
Rowan Watson
Rowan Weston

All lovely!

I prn roan like rone. So, go with [name_u]Rowan[/name_u] if you want that prn.

[name_u]Rowan[/name_u], possible [name_u]Rohan[/name_u].

[name_u]Roan[/name_u] is one syllable, not two.

Thanks everyone for weighing in!

One more challenge I mentioned is that a good friend (but who lives on the other side of the world) has named her son [name_u]Owen[/name_u]. And somehow I only realized how similar it is to [name_u]Rowan[/name_u] after I fell in love with the name.

Perhaps I can just refer to him by nn “[name_f]Ro[/name_f]” when I’m talking with her? Any other suggestions?

As said by many others, [name_u]Roan[/name_u] is a one syllable word, so [name_u]Rowan[/name_u] is much preferred.
Personally if my close friend had an [name_u]Owen[/name_u] and I was in love with [name_u]Rowan[/name_u], it wouldn’t stop me. Heck, it probably wouldn’t stop me from using [name_u]Owen[/name_u] if I had my heart set on it and didn’t get the idea from her.

Like @abertawe said, if I loved a name I wouldn’t let a friend having used it or a similar name deter me. Then the fact that she lives on the other side of the world? Not a problem at all.

I wouldn’t worry about changing how you referred to the child when talking to her either unless you intend to use [name_f]Ro[/name_f] as a nickname anyway.