Magilan
A Tamil name meaning "pearl" or "precious stone".
Name Census estimates that about 11 living Americans carry the first name Magilan. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Magilan today is around 6 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Magilan births was 2019 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Magilan. 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.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Magilan. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
11
~ 1 in 31,159,485 Americans
Peak year
2019
6 babies that year
Average age
6
years old
2021 SSA rank
#13,339
Tracked since 2019
Popularity
Magilan: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Magilan from the 2010s through to the 2020s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 6 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Magilan 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 Magilan during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Magilan
The name Magilan has its roots in ancient Tamil culture, originating from the southern regions of the Indian subcontinent. It is derived from the Tamil word "Magal," which translates to "daughter" or "girl," and the suffix "-an," which denotes a masculine or respectful form. The name can be traced back to the early medieval period, around the 6th to 8th centuries CE.
Magilan was a relatively uncommon name in ancient Tamil literature, but it did appear in a few historical records and inscriptions. One of the earliest known references is found in the Vachana literature of the 12th century, which mentions a sage named Magilan who was revered for his wisdom and spiritual teachings.
The name gained more prominence during the Chola dynasty, which ruled over parts of southern India between the 9th and 13th centuries CE. Records from this period mention several notable figures bearing the name Magilan, including a renowned poet and scholar who lived in the 11th century.
One of the most famous individuals with the name Magilan was a Tamil warrior and military commander who served under the Pandyan kings in the 13th century. He was known for his bravery and strategic prowess in battles against the invading forces of the Delhi Sultanate.
Another notable Magilan was a respected astrologer and astronomer who lived in the 15th century during the Vijayanagar Empire. His works on celestial movements and astrological calculations were widely studied and referenced by scholars of the time.
In the 16th century, there was a Magilan who was a renowned architect and sculptor, responsible for the design and construction of several impressive temples and monuments in the Tamil region. His intricate carvings and architectural styles were deeply influenced by the Dravidian and Nayak traditions.
Throughout the centuries, the name Magilan has been carried by numerous other individuals, including scholars, artists, and community leaders, though their historical records are less prominent or well-documented. The name continues to be used, albeit relatively uncommon, within certain Tamil communities, primarily in southern India and parts of Sri Lanka.
People
Magilan + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Magilan 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
Magilan: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Magilan?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 11 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Magilan 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 31,159,485 US residents.
Is Magilan a common name?
We classify Magilan as "Very Rare". It ranks above 30.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 11 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Magilan most popular?
The single biggest year for Magilan was 2019, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Magilan is about 6 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Magilan in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Magilan a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Magilan in the SSA data are male. 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.
Is Magilan still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Magilan in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Magilan can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
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.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people have Magilan as a first name?
If you just want to know how many Americans are named Magilan, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.