Margean
A feminine name of Welsh origin meaning "born of the sea".
Name Census estimates that about 12 living Americans carry the first name Margean. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Margean today is around 88 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Margean births was 1929 (9 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Margean. 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
- • The typical person named Margean is about 88 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Margeans were born before 1948.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Margean. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
12
~ 1 in 28,562,862 Americans
Peak year
1929
9 babies that year
Average age
88
years old
1950 SSA rank
#5,809
Tracked since 1924
Popularity
Margean: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Margean from the 1920s through to the 1950s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 27 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1920s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Margean 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 Margean 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 Margean
The name Margean is a variant of the more common name Margaret, which has its origins in the Greek language. It is derived from the Greek word "margarites," meaning "pearl." The name was likely first adopted by early Christians during the Byzantine era, as pearls were a symbol of purity and innocence.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Margean can be found in the 9th century, when a Margean of Auxerre was a Benedictine nun and scholar in the Frankish Empire. She is known for her work in transcribing and preserving ancient texts, contributing to the preservation of classical literature during the Middle Ages.
In the 12th century, Margean de Navarre was a Navarrese noblewoman and the Viscountess of Béarn. She played a significant role in the political affairs of the region during her time. Records also show a Margean of Huntingdon, an English noblewoman from the 13th century, who was known for her involvement in various religious and charitable works.
During the Renaissance period, Margean de Valois, born in 1553, was a French Princess and the daughter of King Henry II of France and Catherine de' Medici. She was a prominent figure at the French court and was known for her patronage of the arts and her literary pursuits.
In the 17th century, Margean Fell was an English Quaker leader and one of the earliest advocates for women's rights. She was a prominent figure in the early Quaker movement and played a significant role in the establishment of Quaker communities in the British Isles.
While the name Margean is relatively uncommon, it has a rich history spanning various cultures and periods, reflecting its enduring appeal and significance as a variant of the more widely used name Margaret.
People
Margean + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Margean 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
Margean: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Margean?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 12 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Margean 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 28,562,862 US residents.
Is Margean a common name?
We classify Margean as "Very Rare". It ranks above 32.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 69 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Margean most popular?
The single biggest year for Margean was 1929, when 9 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Margean is about 88 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Margean a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Margean 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.