See the results of this poll: Which solution?
Respondents: 46 (This poll is closed)
- Rowena (pn. Row-EN-uh : 16 (35%)
- Rowenna (pn. Row-EN-uh) : 23 (50%)
- Just leave it: 7 (15%)
I voted for “just leave it.” I think its a really pretty name, but I don’t think people will necessarily say it how you like with the extra N. Personally, I saw Rowenna but I still said [name_f]RowEEna[/name_f] in my head.
I would go with Rowenna. When I see the two names, I automatically pronounce [name_f]Rowena[/name_f] with the een sound and Rowenna with the en sound. You’re not changing the spelling just to be different, so I don’t think you should worry about that - you are changing it because its not the same name as [name_f]Rowena[/name_f], and because it saves confusion.
p.s [name_u]Rowan[/name_u] is a beautiful alternative, and pronounced with a soft e.
I would go with Rowenna. I automatically pronounce [name_f]Rowena[/name_f] with the een sound and Rowenna with the en sound. And I wouldn’t stress over the different spelling - you’re not just doing it to be unusual, you’re doing it because its a different name with different pronunciation and it saves confusion.
[name_f]Do[/name_f] you like [name_u]Rowan[/name_u]? I think it pretty, and gives you the soft e.
I chose ‘leave it’ I’m afraid. I’ve always known [name_f]Rowena[/name_f] to be ro-EE-nuh and only saw the other pronunication once I joined here (perhaps it’s an American thing?), so that option doesn’t seem practical in [name_f]England[/name_f]. Rowenna would work for the pronunciation you want, but at first glance I thought it said ‘[name_f]Rowena[/name_f]’ anyway, thus I would’ve pronounced it ro-EE-nuh again. Also, changing spellings never sits right with me, especially when it’s to suit pronunciation! Eek, sorry! 
FWIW, I really like [name_f]Rowena[/name_f] (ro-EE-nuh) and the PP’s suggestion of [name_u]Rowan[/name_u] 
I much prefer the [name_f]Rowena[/name_f] spelling, which I have always pronounced as row-EN-uh. However, I do see how people would mistake the name for ro-EE-nuh. If you truly love [name_f]Rowena[/name_f], I’d say use it. But if you would feel constantly annoyed by mispronunciations, keep looking.
I also agree that you should consider [name_u]Rowan[/name_u]
I would pronounce [name_f]Rowena[/name_f] as row-ee-nuh, so I voted for Rowenna. row-enn-uh makes sense for that spelling because it looks like it would rhymes with [name_f]Morwenna[/name_f] (mor-wenn-uh).
I saw [name_f]Rowena[/name_f] as Row-een-uh and Rowenna as Row-enn-uh. So solution two. You are not changing the spelling to seem more hip or fit into a fad. You are changing it to get it to sound the way you want it to. I like it.
Is it popular in [name_f]England[/name_f]? It’s practically unheard of in the US so I think you could go with what pronunciation you wanted here and most wouldn’t know any better any way. I agree with you that I like ro-we-na better. In fact I also just learned that wasn’t how it was pronounced. I don’t mind the -ee- sound, I like [name_f]Kathleen[/name_f], for instance but I don’t like it after the w, making wee…yeah just no.
I know a couple (both in the UK) and they’re often asked ‘‘is it row-EN-ah or row-EEN-ah?’’ so I assume both pns are accepted and known, even though they’re both row-EE-nahs. It’s not common enough for it to be entirely standardized.
So I would totally not bat an eyelid at a row-EN-ah with the same spelling. I think it’s fine.
[name_f]Do[/name_f] you like [name_f]Rohana[/name_f]?
Row-een-a is one of my absolute favorites. However, if you’re looking for [name_f]Ro[/name_f]-wenn-a, I think that the Rowenna spelling is actually established, and I don’t see it as a creative spelling.
First of all, if you like the Row-EN-uh pronunciation, both names, in my opinion, should sound that way in terms of the way they are spelt. I don’t even understand how you would get the “een” sound when there is only one “e”. The correct grammatical pronunciation of [name_f]Rowena[/name_f] is Row-EN-uh. I’ve come across many names in this database for which the pronunciations listed are wrong.
- If you love Row-EN-uh, there is no reason why you cannot use that pronunciation along with the spelling “[name_f]Rowena[/name_f]” that you also love. [name_m]Just[/name_m] because the pronunciation may be different for other people, quite frankly, you can use whichever sound you like. You don’t have to resort to an entirely different spelling of the name to get the sound you like!
[name_f]Hope[/name_f] this helps. I also prefer [name_f]Rowena[/name_f]; for some reason, Rowenna just doesn’t look as appealing.
Good luck!
Thanks for the replies everyone! They’ve been very helpful. I’m still leaning towards Rowenna atm, and while I like [name_u]Rowan[/name_u], I think I prefer it for a boy. I love [name_f]Morwenna[/name_f] though!
I’ve only known it pronounced as [name_f]Ro[/name_f]-wee-na. There was a girl in my class called [name_f]Rowena[/name_f] and much to her dismay, everyone called her “weiner”. Now every time I hear the name, that’s all I can hear- the “wena” part.
I’ve only ever known [name_f]Rowena[/name_f] to be pronounced ro-EEN-uh (which I love!) so like some of the other posters, I don’t consider Rowenna a creative spelling but a different name with a different pronunciation. I voted to go with Rowenna because it’s beautiful and it will be much less confusing to spell/read.
I’ve only ever heard this name pronounced as Row-EN-uh. I’m kind of surprised how many people say it with the long EE sound. I prefer the [name_f]Rowena[/name_f] spelling.
[name_f]My[/name_f] thoughts exactly.
Rowenna seems to have a history of use (not that that makes it legit).
If everything is supposed to be written phonetically then I guess we have to change a lot of the English language. 
[name_f]Lena[/name_f] also makes the long ‘ee’ sound with one ‘e’. [name_f]Rowena[/name_f] has always been ‘ro-EE-na’ just like [name_f]Michaela[/name_f] changes to ‘mick-AY-la’ instead of ‘my-kul-a-’ when it feminises.
OP, I think you should go with Rowenna for the pronunciation you want.