A Welsh surname the Owen family name comes from the Old Welsh terms of ‘ouen’ and ‘ouein’. The terms became Owain and Owen, which referred to someone being noble.

Spelling variations for Owen include MacOwen, Owenson, Owenby, Ownby and Owens.

In Wales most with the Owen surname live in the Montgomeryshire area which borders England. In Wales the name is many times spelled Owain. Besides Montgomeryshire with high populations of Owen families, many live in Anglesey, Glamorgan, Denbighshire and Caernvarvonshire.
In England the area of Lancashire and Yorkshire have the greater Owen populations.
In Midlothian and Lanarkshire in Scotland are where many with the Owen name reside.

Owen families are scattered across the United States with most located in Texas, Ohio, Michigan, Washington, Colorado, Missouri, Virginia, Alaska, Kansas, Kentucky and Tennessee.

Famous: John Dyfnalit Owen (poet from Wales), Clive Owen (actor from England), Jimmy Owen (19th century footballer from England), Kai Owen (actor from Wales), Randy Owen (singer), Sandy Owen (music composer) and Greg Owen (professional golfer from England).