Maghan
Of unknown origin and meaning in the English language.
Name Census estimates that about 472 living Americans carry the first name Maghan. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Maghan today is around 37 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Maghan births was 1985 (39 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Maghan. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
472
~ 1 in 726,174 Americans
Peak year
1985
39 babies that year
Average age
37
years old
2005 SSA rank
#18,135
Tracked since 1975
Popularity
Maghan: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Maghan from the 1970s through to the 2000s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 244 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1980s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Maghan by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Maghan during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Maghans live
Origin
Meaning and history of Maghan
The name Maghan is believed to have originated from the Persian language, with roots tracing back to ancient Persia (modern-day Iran) during the pre-Islamic era. It is derived from the Persian word "magh," which means "priest" or "wise man," indicating a connection to religious or scholarly pursuits.
Historically, the name Maghan was associated with the Zoroastrian faith, one of the oldest monotheistic religions in the world. It was commonly used among the priestly class of Zoroastrian clergy, known as the Magi or Magians. These priests were revered for their wisdom, knowledge, and spiritual guidance.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Maghan can be found in the ancient Persian text, the Avesta, which is the primary collection of sacred texts in Zoroastrianism. The name appears in several passages, often referring to esteemed priests or wise men.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Maghan. One of the most famous was Maghan of Nishapur, a renowned Persian scholar and poet who lived in the 10th century CE. He was highly regarded for his contributions to literature and philosophy during the Golden Age of Persian civilization.
Another prominent figure was Maghan al-Bukhari, a 9th-century Islamic scholar and hadith collector from Bukhara (modern-day Uzbekistan). He is renowned for his influential work, "Sahih al-Bukhari," considered one of the most authentic collections of the Prophet Muhammad's sayings and traditions.
In the realm of religion, Maghan Farahvashi was a prominent Zoroastrian priest and theologian who lived in the 6th century CE. He is credited with reviving and preserving the Zoroastrian faith during a period of decline and persecution.
During the medieval period, Maghan ibn Abi al-Qasim al-Razi was a celebrated Persian physician and philosopher who lived in the 9th and 10th centuries CE. He made significant contributions to the fields of medicine, alchemy, and philosophy, and his works were widely studied throughout the Islamic world.
Maghan Ghiyath al-Din Mansur, born in the 12th century CE, was a renowned Persian mathematician and astronomer. He is best known for his work on the development of trigonometric tables and his contributions to the advancement of astronomical instruments and observations.
While these are just a few examples, the name Maghan has carried a rich historical legacy, often associated with wisdom, scholarship, and religious devotion across various cultures and time periods.
People
Maghan + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Maghan as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with M
Other first names starting with M with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Maghan: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Maghan?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 472 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Maghan going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 726,174 US residents.
Is Maghan a common name?
We classify Maghan as "Very Rare". It ranks above 84% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 496 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Maghan most popular?
The single biggest year for Maghan was 1985, when 39 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Maghan is about 37 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Maghan a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Maghan in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.