Megan
Pearl; a feminine name of Welsh origin meaning "pearl" or "child of light".
Name Census estimates that about 420,586 living Americans carry the first name Megan. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Megan today is around 35 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Megan births was 1990 (20,303 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Megan. 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
- • Although Megan is used almost entirely for girls, the SSA data does show 1,104 boys registered with the name since 1880.
- • Compared to the 1990s, recent registration numbers for Megan have dropped to less than 5% of what they once were.
People living today
421K
~ 1 in 815 Americans
Peak year
1990
20,303 babies that year
Average age
35
years old
2014 SSA rank
#761
Tracked since 1922
Gender
Gender distribution for Megan
Out of the 440,869 babies given the name Megan since 1880, 99.7% were registered as female. The name sits firmly on the female side of the spectrum, with only a handful of male registrations across the entire dataset.
Megan as a male name
- Ranked #11,656 in 2014
- 6 male births in 2014
- Peak: 1989 (82 births)
Megan as a female name
- Ranked #761 in 2024
- 369 female births in 2024
- Peak: 1990 (20,259 births)
Popularity
Megan: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Megan from the 1920s through to the 2020s, spanning 11 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 160,640 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1990s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Megan 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 Megan during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Megans live
The SSA's state-level files cover 51 states and territories. California, Texas, Ohio recorded the most babies named Megan, while Wyoming, Vermont, Alaska recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 8,594 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Megan
The name Megan is a Welsh feminine given name derived from the Welsh word "meg," meaning "pearl" or "precious stone." It is believed to have originated in the Middle Ages, possibly as a diminutive form of the name Margaret.
Megan has its roots in the Celtic languages and was initially popular in Wales and other parts of Britain. The name's earliest recorded use dates back to the 12th century, when it was found in Welsh genealogical records.
One of the earliest known historical figures with the name Megan was Megan ferch Dafydd, a Welsh noblewoman who lived in the 14th century. She was the daughter of Dafydd ap Gruffydd, a prominent Welsh leader during the Wars of Independence against the English.
Another notable Megan from history was Megan Gwynn, a 16th-century Welsh folk hero and outlaw. According to legend, she robbed from the wealthy and gave to the poor, earning her the nickname "Megan the Fair."
In the 17th century, Megan Lloyd (1627-1690) was a Welsh Baptist minister and one of the founders of the Baptist movement in Wales. She played a significant role in establishing Baptist churches and promoting religious freedom in the region.
During the 18th century, Megan Vaughan (1715-1768) was a Welsh botanist and naturalist who made significant contributions to the study of plants and their medicinal properties. She was known for her extensive knowledge of local flora and her efforts to preserve traditional Welsh plant remedies.
In more recent times, Megan Shaughnessy (1938-2006) was an American actress and director who appeared in numerous television shows and films throughout her career. She was best known for her role as Major Margaret "Hot Lips" Houlihan in the classic film "M*A*S*H."
These are just a few examples of the rich history and notable figures associated with the name Megan. Throughout the centuries, this name has maintained a strong connection to its Welsh origins while gaining popularity around the world.
People
Megan + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Megan 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
Megan: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Megan?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 420,586 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Megan 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 815 US residents.
Is Megan a common name?
We classify Megan as "Common". It ranks above 99.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 440,869 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Megan most popular?
The single biggest year for Megan was 1990, when 20,303 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Megan is about 35 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Megan a female name?
Yes, 99.7% of people registered as Megan 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.