Megyn
A feminine name derived from the Celtic word "mugen" meaning "vigorous".
Name Census estimates that about 453 living Americans carry the first name Megyn. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Megyn today is around 20 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Megyn births was 2009 (52 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Megyn. 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.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Megyn with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
453
~ 1 in 756,632 Americans
Peak year
2009
52 babies that year
Average age
20
years old
2020 SSA rank
#14,517
Tracked since 1984
Census
Megyn in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 498 people with the first name Megyn, which placed it at #20,655 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#20,655
National first-name rank
People counted
498
498 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.2
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
84.3% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Megyn
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Megyn is White at 84.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.8%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Megyn described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Megyn at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White84.3% · 420
- Hispanic or Latino5.2% · 26
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.8% · 19
- Black or African American3.4% · 17
- Two or more races3.2% · 16
Popularity
Megyn: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Megyn from the 1980s through to the 2020s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 203 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2000s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Megyn 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 Megyn during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Megyns live
The SSA's state-level files cover 3 states and territories. California, Texas, Indiana recorded the most babies named Megyn, while Indiana, Texas, California recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 6 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Megyn
The name Megyn is a modern variation of the ancient Greek name Megaina, which means "great" or "mighty." This name has its roots in the word "megas," which translates to "great" or "large" in Greek. The earliest recorded use of the name Megaina dates back to the 5th century BCE, where it was mentioned in ancient Greek texts and inscriptions.
During the Byzantine era, the name Megaina was popular among the Greek-speaking population of the Eastern Roman Empire. It was often given to girls born into noble or wealthy families, as the name symbolized strength, power, and grandeur. In the 10th century CE, a Greek noblewoman named Megaina was recorded as the wife of a prominent Byzantine general.
As the name spread across Europe during the Middle Ages, it underwent various spelling changes and adaptations. In England, it emerged as the name Megan, which was derived from the Welsh form of the name, Meg. This form of the name was popularized by the legendary Welsh princess Megan, who lived in the 5th century CE and was known for her bravery and leadership.
In the 16th century, a notable figure named Megan Byles was born in England. She was a renowned herbalist and midwife who dedicated her life to helping women during childbirth. Her contributions to the field of herbal medicine and midwifery were widely recognized, and she is remembered as a pioneer in her field.
Another historical figure with the name Megan was Megan Llewelyn, a Welsh noblewoman who lived in the 13th century. She was known for her defiance against English rule and her efforts to preserve Welsh culture and traditions. Megan Llewelyn played a significant role in the Welsh resistance against the English monarchy.
In the 20th century, the name Megyn emerged as a modern variation of Megan. One notable person with this name is Megyn Kelly, an American journalist and former news anchor born in 1970. She gained widespread recognition for her work at Fox News and NBC News, where she hosted various high-profile shows and interviews.
While the name Megyn is a relatively recent variation, it carries a rich history and symbolism rooted in the ancient Greek concept of greatness and strength. From noble Byzantine women to pioneering herbalists and Welsh resistance fighters, the name has been borne by remarkable individuals throughout history, reflecting its enduring appeal and cultural significance.
People
Megyn + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Megyn 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
Megyn: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Megyn?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 453 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Megyn 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 756,632 US residents.
Is Megyn a common name?
We classify Megyn as "Very Rare". It ranks above 83.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 460 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Megyn most popular?
The single biggest year for Megyn was 2009, when 52 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Megyn is about 20 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Megyn in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 498 people with the name Megyn, or 0.16 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #20,655 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Megyn in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Megyn?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Megyn appears almost entirely female. Of the 506 people counted with this name, 99.6% were female and only a very small share were male. The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Megyn?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Megyn is White at 84.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.8%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Megyn most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Megyn in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.3% (420 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
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 Megyn in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Megyn a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Megyn 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.
Is Megyn still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Megyn 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 Megyn 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.
How many people are called Megyn?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.