Roan is of Irish origin, meaning 'little seal'. It's a unisex given name, but it's more commonly used for boys. The name gained popularity in the 20th century and has been steadily used since. Roan is also associated with the red-roan horse coat color, which might inspire images of freedom and strength when hearing this name.
"Roan's popularity has seen notable fluctuations over time, with a significant increase from 5 births in 2008 to 17 births in 2018, and again to 19 births in 2021. However, there was also a period of decline between 2005 and 2009, when the number of births ranged from 5 to 8 annually."