Meegan
An anglicized form of the Irish name 'Muirgean', meaning "born of the sea".
Name Census estimates that about 888 living Americans carry the first name Meegan. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Meegan today is around 46 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Meegan births was 1975 (61 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Meegan. 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
888
~ 1 in 385,985 Americans
Peak year
1975
61 babies that year
Average age
46
years old
2012 SSA rank
#18,634
Tracked since 1954
Popularity
Meegan: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Meegan from the 1950s through to the 2010s, spanning 7 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1970s, with 434 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1970s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Meegan 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 Meegan during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Meegans live
The SSA's state-level files cover 6 states and territories. New York, California, Michigan recorded the most babies named Meegan, while Washington, Massachusetts, Illinois recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 19 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Meegan
The given name Meegan is believed to have originated from the Irish Gaelic language, where it is spelled "Muirgein" or "Muireann." The name is derived from the Old Irish words "muir" meaning "sea" and "gein" meaning "born" or "descendant." It can be interpreted to mean "born of the sea" or "child of the sea."
This name has its roots in ancient Celtic mythology, where the sea was revered as a powerful and sacred force. In Irish folklore, the sea was often personified as a goddess or a feminine entity, and names associated with the sea were considered auspicious and protective.
The earliest recorded instance of the name Meegan can be traced back to the 8th century, when it appeared in the Annals of Ulster, an ancient chronicle of medieval Irish history. However, it is likely that the name predates written records and was used orally in Celtic cultures for centuries before that.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Meegan. One of the earliest recorded was Muirgein mac Tómaltaig (born c. 760), an Irish poet and scholar who served as the Chief Ollamh (professor) of Ireland during the reign of Niall Frasach, the High King of Ireland in the late 8th century.
Another significant figure was Muireann Ní Bhriain (c. 1150 - c. 1220), an Irish noblewoman and chieftain who ruled over the territory of Uí Bhriain in what is now County Limerick. She was renowned for her leadership skills and for defending her lands against invading Norman forces.
In the 16th century, Meegan O'Daly (c. 1535 - c. 1600) was a notable Irish poet and historian from County Westmeath. He composed numerous works in the Irish language, including historical poems and genealogies of prominent Irish families.
In more recent times, Meegan Jones (1957 - ) is a Welsh actress and singer best known for her roles in various British television series and films. She has also released several albums and has been a prominent figure in the Welsh music scene.
Finally, Meegan Duhamel (1986 - ) is a Canadian former pair skater who, along with her partner Eric Radford, won multiple Olympic and World Championship medals, including gold at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang.
People
Meegan + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Meegan 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
Meegan: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Meegan?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 888 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Meegan 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 385,985 US residents.
Is Meegan a common name?
We classify Meegan as "Very Rare". It ranks above 89.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 979 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Meegan most popular?
The single biggest year for Meegan was 1975, when 61 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Meegan is about 46 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Meegan a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Meegan 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.