Girl nameCurrently #761 in the USFalling
Megan
MEG-un//ˈmɛɡən//
2 syllablesPeak year: 19905 lettersStarts with M
Meaning & origin
Pearl (Welsh dim. of Margaret)
Megan is a Welsh diminutive of Margaret or Meghan, sharing the Greek root meaning pearl. It spread widely beyond Wales in the 20th century to become a mainstream favorite across the English-speaking world.
Megan's popularity over time
| Year | Births named Megan |
|---|---|
| 1922 | 7 |
| 1923 | 13 |
| 1924 | 7 |
| 1926 | 5 |
| 1927 | 7 |
| 1930 | 5 |
| 1931 | 7 |
| 1933 | 7 |
| 1934 | 8 |
| 1935 | 7 |
| 1936 | 7 |
| 1939 | 6 |
| 1940 | 9 |
| 1942 | 12 |
| 1943 | 21 |
| 1944 | 16 |
| 1945 | 24 |
| 1946 | 22 |
| 1947 | 29 |
| 1948 | 28 |
| 1949 | 30 |
| 1950 | 61 |
| 1951 | 86 |
| 1952 | 119 |
| 1953 | 156 |
| 1954 | 153 |
| 1955 | 198 |
| 1956 | 197 |
| 1957 | 258 |
| 1958 | 301 |
| 1959 | 358 |
| 1960 | 364 |
| 1961 | 402 |
| 1962 | 391 |
| 1963 | 432 |
| 1964 | 512 |
| 1965 | 608 |
| 1966 | 655 |
| 1967 | 709 |
| 1968 | 818 |
| 1969 | 1,031 |
| 1970 | 1,268 |
| 1971 | 1,506 |
| 1972 | 1,594 |
| 1973 | 2,030 |
| 1974 | 2,830 |
| 1975 | 4,203 |
| 1976 | 4,484 |
| 1977 | 5,340 |
| 1978 | 5,921 |
| 1979 | 8,320 |
| 1980 | 9,169 |
| 1981 | 9,006 |
| 1982 | 9,568 |
| 1983 | 14,174 |
| 1984 | 17,034 |
| 1985 | 20,092 |
| 1986 | 18,652 |
| 1987 | 17,884 |
| 1988 | 18,631 |
| 1989 | 19,862 |
| 1990 | 20,303 |
| 1991 | 19,309 |
| 1992 | 17,875 |
| 1993 | 16,415 |
| 1994 | 16,611 |
| 1995 | 15,558 |
| 1996 | 14,790 |
| 1997 | 14,262 |
| 1998 | 13,277 |
| 1999 | 12,240 |
| 2000 | 11,450 |
| 2001 | 10,317 |
| 2002 | 9,226 |
| 2003 | 7,810 |
| 2004 | 6,722 |
| 2005 | 5,862 |
| 2006 | 4,953 |
| 2007 | 4,133 |
| 2008 | 3,416 |
| 2009 | 3,063 |
| 2010 | 2,406 |
| 2011 | 1,915 |
| 2012 | 1,561 |
| 2013 | 1,246 |
| 2014 | 1,070 |
| 2015 | 853 |
| 2016 | 750 |
| 2017 | 631 |
| 2018 | 565 |
| 2019 | 499 |
| 2020 | 453 |
| 2021 | 490 |
| 2022 | 399 |
| 2023 | 416 |
| 2024 | 369 |
Megan through the decades
- Megan peaked in 1990, when 20,303 babies were named Megan in the US.
- Over the last 10 years of data (2015–2024), use of Megan has fallen 82% compared to the 10 years before that.
- Megan currently ranks #761 in the US and is cooling off.
Nicknames
Meg
Variants & spellings
MeghanMeagan
Famous people named Megan
- Meghan, Duchess of Sussex — member of British royal family (variant spelling)