Roan is a Frisian male name, a form of Ronne which is the Frisian form of Germanic hraben meaning “raven”. It could also be a variant spelling of Rowan, an Irish surname which is the anglicized form of Ó Ruadháin meaning “descendant of Ruadhán”, the latter derived from Irish ruadh meaning “red”, derived as a nickname for someone who had red hair or a ruddy complexion. It derives from a Proto-Indo-European root. Roan is also a color, usually used to refer to a horse that has a sorrel, chestnut or bay (reddish-brown) coloring with gray or white running through it. It’s also a word used to refer to a soft, flexible sheepskin leather, made to resemble morocco, which is used in bookbinding. The origin of the word comes from Old French roan via Spanish roano from Proto-Germanic *raudaz (red) from PIE root word *h₁rewdʰ- (red). It may also be derived from Latin ravus (gray, tawny) derived from an unknown source.
Origin: Germanic, Proto-Indo-European, Latin
Variants:
- Rouan (French)
Female forms:
- Roana (English)
- Roanna (English)
- Roanne (English
- Rouana (French)
