It is named for Audoin (French: Ouen, English: Owen), 7th-century bishop of Rouen in modern Normandy, France.

The foundation of Saint-Ouen Abbey has been variously credited, among others, to Chlothar I and to Clotilde, royal saint and wife of Clovis I, but evidence is scanty.

[12] The fourth abbot, Nicolas (r. 1042–1092) was the first cousin of William the Conqueror, and supplied ships and men for the Norman Conquest.

The abbey buildings were confiscated at the time of the French Revolution and were subsequently occupied by the Town Hall of Rouen.

The present structure was constructed between 1846 and 1851 in a Neo-Gothic style that bears little resemblance to the original Late Gothic designs.