A flowy feminine treasure, Elowen adds onto the beloved Ella names with a more tailored vibe and a generous portion of nicknames. Oh, and there’s even vintage potential! But has the buzz around Elowen made her feel much too trendy and faddish to truly hit it off with the public? Or is Elowen the beautiful baby name for you? Today, I’m taking a close up look at the baby girl name Elowen, and I hope you’ll join me as we explore her positive sides, negative points, origin and meaning, or lack thereof in some cases, and my opinions and suggestions at the bottom along with a popularity prediction. Let’s jump on into it!
Pros
Although I was previously under the (false) impression that Elowen was Welsh due to the similarities between the two languages, Elowen is in fact a lovely Cornish name, the perfect name for a family looking to honor Cornish origin or anyone searching for a name with Celtic roots or just roots in general. Not only that, Elowen is derived from a word in Cornish meaning “elm tree,” a tranquil and calm image that ties into nature, wonderful for ties to big sister Juniper or Willow. The picture of an elm tree is one that many nature-loving parents might find attractive, and if we’re still on the tangent of Celtic origin, the elm trees were thought of as passages to the Underworld, which is quite fascinating.
But aside from the roots (sort of literally actually, with all my talk of elm trees), you would never guess that Elowen hadn’t been crafted out of thin air to perfectly suit modern day trends. She’s an Ella name, for goodness sake! Isabella, Ella, Arabella and more were and are still the stars of the show, the -ella fluid, feminine, yet friendly and perky as well, a very versatile sound. The Ella right at the start of Elowen gives her all of those advantages and makes her sounds that of intrigue. Speaking of her sound, the -wen ending opens up plenty of opportunities for the slightly more newly in vogue Winnie, a spunky vintage delight that feels fresh and ready for a revival. I personally find Winnie a wonderful nickname option. And then there’s Ellie, who’s becoming the new Katie, with Eleanor, Ella, and Elliana ruling the roost with her sweet and sparky sound and adorable namesakes globally. There’s even Wendy, if you really reach for it! Either way, Elowen leaves plenty of room for customization from your little one as she grows, and her nicknames allow for so many different styles that mold to fit your sibset or style. Jackson “Jack” and Elowen “Ellie” fit seamlessly, yet so do Harriet “Hattie” and Elowen “Winnie.”
For her versatility as well as her sound, Elowen has become a forum favorite, attracting attention all over many baby naming websites and name lovers of every single style. Finally, Elowen carries a touch of mystique, feeling ever so slightly fairy-like and dainty. She’s the type of name you would picture roaming around a beautiful and mystical elven forest with the sun setting in the background. In other words, Elowen definitely pleases name lovers and soon-to-be parents alike with her imagery, connection to nature, many nicknames and appealing sounds, and especially that twinge of fantastical vibes.
Cons
Upon first glance, I would immediately default to Ella-win for pronunciation, and I feel that many others might be in that same boat. However, this beauty is actually pronounced el-OH-win, or more like El-owen. Obviously, this already knocks Elowen down a couple spots. One for the confusion of a complicated pronunciation and the other for a less pleasing sound for today’s trends. The -owen sound at the end makes it sound more masculine thanks to the very popular boy name Owen, taking away a part of the ethereal beauty. Not only that, the fact that the assumed Ella sound is being taken away and replaced with the less on trend El- sound removes another part of the appeal. And that’s not considering the frustration your daughter may feel when the substitute teacher just can’t stumble over the pronunciation any longer. But even though these issues still arise, even more annoying may be the spelling. When you, pretending you’re not obsessed with names or having a child, hear Ella-win or El-oh-in, what would you write down? Ellawyn? Alowin? Either way, Elowen isn’t exactly the most phonetic name there is, and on top of the pronunciation issues, there’s sure to be spelling issues as well.
And then there’s the trend factor. Elowen is nonexistent on top 1000s other than England’s, where she claims #844, yet ranks very highly traffic-wise on baby naming sites and forums, hinting that maybe Elowen isn’t a choice that will stand the test of time, and may be just another fad. Lastly, Elowen pronounced Ell-oh-win, like many English speakers might revert to and you may choose to give your daughter sort of sounds like LON. I noticed this while I was writing, and just couldn’t not think of it. Obviously, it’s not that big of a deal. In fact, you could use it to honor a Lauren Olga Norris or Lily Olivia Nichols or something else of the sort. It’s just yet another potential spelling issue, with the daycare staff hearing your little Elowen say her name and scrawl LON or Lon on her clipboard.
Predictions for Elowen:
Elowen is heating up fast. Her popularity on baby naming websites is unmatched, and I’m inclined to believe that her US popularity is headed there as well. I mean, when something goes trendy in Britain and on baby name forums and websites, it has to have an effect on US popularity too, right? I personally find Elowen lovely as a middle name, though I think there’s too many potential spelling and pronunciation issues to really make it as a first name for me. Thanks for reading, and I hope you will keep looking out for more!
Sincerely,
-Delphina Moon
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