The name of a 4th C saint, a 5th C prince of North Wales, a 7th C pope and saint, a 7th C Brittonic ruler, an 8th C Brittonic ruler, a 9th C pope, a 10th C king of Strathclyde, an 11th C king of Strathclyde, a 12th C pope, a 12th C king of Gwynedd, a 12th C prince of Powys, a 13th C king of Gwynedd, a 15th C prince of Wales, and a 15th C pope.
The name was adopted into Old Welsh as Ou(u)ein or Eug(u)ein; this was the name a 6th C son of a king of Rheged who became the basis for a knight of the Round Table and son of King Urien in Arthurian legend. The popularity of Arthurian legend cycles in France contributed to the use of Yvain, the Old French form of the name. However, the connection between Owen and Eugene is sometimes disputed.
In Ireland, Eugene and Eugenius were used as anglicizations or latinizations of Eoghan and Echmhílidh.
- England
-
- Latin
- ● 1485–1486 Owen (abl) CovGuild-2 p. 74
- Early Modern English
- ● 1531 Owen SaxhamSf p. 126;
1532–1533 Owen CovGuild-2 p. 117;
1534 Owyn ibid. p. 136;
1555 Owen BarnstapleBap p. 9;
1558 Owen RegSASel p. 2;
1558/9 Owen ibid. p. 4;
1559 Owen ibid. p. 4;
1560 Owen ibid. p. 6;
1560/1 Owen ibid. p. 7;
1562 Owyen BarnstapleBap p. 12;
1568 Owen bruton1 p. 5;
1578 Owen ibid. p. 7;
1583/4 Owen SurMus p. 133;
1583 Owin StAnthonlin p. 30;
1583/4 Owin SurMus p. 81,
Owine ibid. p. 55;
1585 Owen StAnthonlin p. 31,
bruton1 p. 46;
1588 Owen DEmar-vol2 p. 15;
1589/90 Owen bruton1 p. 119;
1593 Owin StAnthonlin p. 36;
1594 Owen DEmar-vol2 p. 28;
1598 Owen ibid. p. 38
- France
-
- Latin
- ● 1146 Eugenii (gen) CartNDSaintes VIII,
Eugenius (nom) ibid. VIII;
1147 Eugenii (gen) ibid. XXV;
1148 Eugenio (abl) ibid. XXIV,
Eugenius (nom) ibid. XXIV;
1378 Ywano (dat) hanquetvol1 948
- Old French
- ● 1303 Evens (nom) ArchCambIII p. 151
- Middle French
- ● 1392 Yvain MemBret-II col. 610;
1415[1469x1471] Yvain Waurin p. 226
- Ireland
-
- Latin
- ● 1433 Eugenii (gen) RegOct 112,
Eugenio (dat) ibid. 61;
1460 Eugenio (dat) ibid. 25;
1488 Eugenio (abl) ibid. 13;
1489 Eugenii (gen) ibid. 416;
1585 Owino (dat) IORCHAR-II p. xvii
- Early Modern English
- ● 1535 Owen Fiants-1 48;
1539/40 Eugene ibid. 99;
1585 Owen IORCHAR-II p. xv;
1591 Oven ibid. p. xxii
- Italy
-
- Latin
- ● 655 eugenii (gen) CartStBav 1,
eugenio (abl) ibid. 1;
1449 Eugenium (acc) VitAs2 XII
- Spain
-
- Spanish
- ● 1576 Eugenio Catalogo-5.2 4035
- Wales
-
- Latin
- ● 1198 Owini (gen) Pryce-1st no. 8;
1452 Owen (nom) ArchCambIII p. 71;
1453 Owen (nom) ibid. p. 70;
1497 Owen (nom) ibid. p. 68,
Owyn (nom) ibid. p. 108;
1582 Owinus (nom) RegCon1 p. 36
- Middle Welsh
- ● 1142x1157 Owain ArchCambIII p. 74
- Welsh
- ● 1582 Owen RegCon1 p. 37;
1589 Owens ibid. p. 56
Cite as: S.L. Uckelman. "Eugene". In S.L. Uckelman, ed. The Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, Edition 2020, no. 1. http://dmnes.org/2020/1/name/Eugene.