Rowel as a Baby Name. Meaning and Origin of Rowel

What is the meaning of the name Rowel ?

The baby name Rowel is a Male name , 2 syllables long and is pronounced /ˈroʊ.əl/ (ROH-əl).

Rowel is English in Origin.

Rowel is a modern given name with English and Romance roots. As a common noun, a rowel is the small spiked wheel on a rider’s spur; the word came from Middle English via Old French roel, a diminutive of roue “wheel,” from Latin rota. This pathway yields the meanings “little wheel” and, by metaphor, “one who spurs on” or “energetic driver.”

As a personal name, Rowel appears in English records as a rare surname-derived forename and is often treated as a spelling of Rowell; in the Philippines it is relatively familiar, sometimes influenced by the biblical Ruel/Reuel (“friend of God”). Variants include Rowell and the feminine Rowelle; related forms are Ruel/Reuel. Pronounced ROH-əl, Rowel fits the contemporary surname-as-first trend while retaining old-world imagery of motion and impetus.