Eowyn

♀ Girl

Pronounced AY-uh-wihn /ˈeɪ.ə.wɪn/Medium

Meaning: Horse joyMedium

In 30 seconds: Eowyn is an English-form name meaning 'horse joy,' built from Old English elements. It is famous as the shieldmaiden of Rohan in Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings.

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Origin MediumEnglish

MeaningHorse joy

U.S. rank (2025)#1471 ↗ Rising

2025 U.S. births146 girls (0.01% of U.S. girls)

Peak year2025

Total births (all-time)≈ 1,878

Popularity in the U.S. · SSA data

U.S. births per year (Social Security Administration, 1880–present). Pink marker = peak year.

SSA data updated May 2026. How we source & verify this data.

History & Origin

Eowyn combines Old English roots for 'horse' and 'joy,' a meaning Tolkien drew on for a people closely tied to their horses. The name had little independent life before he used it, so its modern history is bound up with the character. That literary origin gives it a heroic, distinctive feel.

The unusual eo- opening makes it look and sound striking on the page. The Pulitzer-finalist author Eowyn Ivey, born in 1973 and named after the Tolkien character, shows the name in real-world use.

Did you know? Eowyn is a spelling variant of Éowyn, so it keeps the same core meaning of 'horse joy' while changing the visual style.

Overall data confidence 70%

Behind the Name - Eowyn — etymology, usage, pronunciation, and related formsU.S. Social Security Administration — 2024 popularity rank and count supplied in the batch input CSV

Variations

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Nicknames

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Famous Bearers

★Eowyn Ivey (b. 1973)
American author whose debut novel The Snow Child was a finalist for the 2013 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction; named after the Tolkien character.
★Eowyn (fictional)
Noblewoman of Rohan and shieldmaiden in J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings who slays the Witch-king of Angmar.

If you like Eowyn…

Edith— An Old English compound name sharing Eowyn's Anglo-Saxon roots and feel.

Arwen— Another Tolkien-born girl's name from the same literary world as Eowyn.

Emberlyn— echoes that soft -yn sound

Ellowyn— a fellow English choice

Everlyn— a similarly popular pick

Explore names like Eowyn

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Frequently Asked

What does the name Eowyn mean?

Eowyn is usually explained as meaning 'horse joy' and is most often linked with English tradition.

How do you pronounce Eowyn?

It's commonly said AY-uh-wihn /ˈeɪ.ə.wɪn/.

Is Eowyn a boy or girl name?

In this batch and in recent U.S. usage data, Eowyn is used as a girl name.

How popular is Eowyn?

In 2024, Eowyn ranked #1880 in the U.S. for girls, with 106 births recorded.