I had never really considered [name]Rowan[/name] before since my usual taste is frilly, feminine names for girls, but I’ve seen it mentioned a few times here lately and it really struck me. It feels very southern to me (probably because of [name]Rowan[/name] [name]Oak[/name], [name]William[/name] [name]Faulkner[/name]'s home in [name]Oxford[/name], MS) and that is exactly the feeling I want. DH and I met in college in [name]Oxford[/name], so [name]Rowan[/name] would hold special meaning that way too. On top of that, DH actually liked it! He almost never likes names that aren’t very classic and familiar to him, so this was a feat in itself.
We like to use family names in the middle spot, and I wanted to use something very feminine as a middle name since [name]Rowan[/name] is so gender neutral. What are your thoughts on [name]Rowan[/name] [name]Annabelle[/name]? I know the repeating “an” sound isn’t ideal, but the I pronounce [name]Rowan[/name] more like row-en so it hasn’t bothered me.
Thanks for your feedback! [name]Seraphina[/name] is pretty but a bit too much name for me. It also doesn’t honor our family name in the middle tradition.
Unfortunately most of our family names are pretty gender neutral and won’t really work for distinguishing [name]Rowan[/name] as a girl name.
Our options are:
[name]Catherine[/name]
[name]Ann[/name] (or variations of)
[name]Olivia[/name] (great grandmother was [name]Ollie[/name], but this name is so common that I don’t love it)
[name]Leigh[/name] (my maiden name is [name]Lee[/name], but I’d want to change the spelling to make it feminine, so not ideal)
I hadn’t even thought about that option but I really like it! I had thought about [name]Leeann[/name], but that seemed so dated and blah, but [name]Annalee[/name] could really work. I don’t know that I like it better than [name]Annabelle[/name], but it’s definitely worth running by DH!
I know a lot of people do see it as a girls name but I went to school with a boy called [name]Rowan[/name] so I find it hard to see it in a feminine light. It’s a nice name though. Wouldn’t be top of my list for a boy or a girl. Rowana could be a nice way to make it more girl-ish.
I’m obviously a fan.
We actually considered using [name]Annaleigh[/name] in the middle since it was a smoosh of family names, but it wasn’t my personal style.
I think [name]Annabelle[/name] works great! Definitely go for a more feminine in the middle. It just helps it flow so much better.
I love both [name]Rowen[/name] [name]Annabelle[/name] and [name]Rowen[/name] [name]Analeigh[/name]/[name]Annalee[/name]! Very pretty and I love the meaning behind [name]Rowen[/name] for you and your husband.
I’m glad to see [name]Rowan[/name] [name]Annabelle[/name] getting some love! I will run [name]Annalee[/name] by DH and see about adding that to the list as well.
I think [name]Rowan[/name] [name]Annabel[/name] is very light and crisp sounding! I slightly prefer that spelling. Another beautiful name option is [name]Anneliese[/name]… I don’t know if [name]Rowan[/name] [name]Anneliese[/name] is too much, but I think [name]Anneliese[/name] is a gorgeous name.
By the way…my niece’s name is [name]Rowan[/name] [name]Lee[/name].
Personally I feel [name]Rowan[/name] is more of a boys name. I’ve only ever met male Rowans and I can’t see it on a girl. Mind you, things might be different over where you live
I love [name]Rowan[/name] I think it is such a lovely name. [name]Rowan[/name] is whimsical and spunky but the nature quality of it keeps it firmly grounded. I absolutely adore [name]Rowan[/name] [name]Annabelle[/name] I think it is a beautiful way to incorporate a family name while giving her something that is just for her. I do slightly prefer the [name]Annabel[/name] spelling because I feel it is a bit fresher and more simplistic rather than feminine and frilly like [name]Annabelle[/name] but I love the sound either way. Good luck
I love [name]Rowan[/name] [name]Annabelle[/name]! It is perfect. I think [name]Rowan[/name] [name]Annabelle[/name] sounds better than [name]Rowan[/name] [name]Annalee[/name]. If you do go with [name]Annalee[/name] I would spell it [name]Annaleigh[/name] or [name]Annalie[/name], I just think it looks better.
Other Combos That I like
[name]Rowan[/name] [name]Anneliese[/name]
[name]Rowan[/name] [name]Olivia[/name]
[name]Rowan[/name] [name]Caterina[/name]
[name]Rowan[/name] [name]Liana[/name] (lee-ahn-uh) This one would honor [name]Lee[/name] and [name]Anna[/name]/[name]Anne[/name]
As for a middle, I don’t really like [name]Rowan[/name] [name]Annabelle[/name], although I understand it’s special meaning, and there’s certainly nothing wrong with it! I like [name]Rowan[/name] [name]Annalee[/name] better, if you want to go for a [name]Anna[/name]… middle. And actually, I do think an [name]Anna[/name]… middle is your best bet. [name]Rowan[/name] [name]Catharine[/name] doesn’t have much punch. [name]Ann[/name] is too short to sit next to [name]RowAN[/name] all by itself. [name]Rowan[/name] [name]Olivia[/name] is actually really nice, but I get the whole popular thing and if it’s not going to feel like a name that is “yours,” then best to avoid it I think. [name]Rowan[/name] [name]Leigh[/name] is nice too. I really like the practice of putting the mom’s maiden name as a middle for a girl–probably because that’s how my mom got HER middle name ([name]Reid[/name], which I love on a girl or a boy).
So I think your top picks (with my preferred spellings) are:
[name]Rowan[/name] [name]Annalee[/name]
[name]Rowan[/name] [name]Leigh[/name]
Runner-up: [name]Rowan[/name] [name]Olivia[/name]
[name]Rowan[/name], as you can see in my sig, is one of my favourite boys’ names, but it’s lovely on a girl too! I like [name]Rowan[/name] [name]Annaleigh[/name].
