Mehgan
Variation of the name Meghan derived from Hebrew meaning "pearl".
Name Census estimates that about 518 living Americans carry the first name Mehgan. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Mehgan today is around 36 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Mehgan births was 1986 (36 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Mehgan. 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
518
~ 1 in 661,688 Americans
Peak year
1986
36 babies that year
Average age
36
years old
2012 SSA rank
#16,223
Tracked since 1976
Popularity
Mehgan: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Mehgan from the 1970s through to the 2010s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 254 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1980s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Mehgan 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 Mehgan during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Mehgans live
Origin
Meaning and history of Mehgan
The name Mehgan has its roots in the ancient Persian language, tracing back to the 6th century BCE. It is derived from the Persian word "mehgan," which translates to "of the sun" or "celestial." This connection to the sun likely stems from ancient Zoroastrian beliefs and the reverence for celestial bodies in Persian culture.
During the Achaemenid Empire, which ruled over a vast territory from modern-day Iran to parts of Greece and Egypt, the name Mehgan was commonly used. It appears in several ancient Persian texts and inscriptions, particularly those related to religious or astrological subjects.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Mehgan can be found in the Behistun Inscription, a monumental rock relief created by the Achaemenid king Darius the Great in the 5th century BCE. This inscription, which documented the king's rise to power and his victories, mentions a nobleman named Mehgan who was a member of the royal court.
Throughout the centuries, various notable figures have borne the name Mehgan. In the 10th century CE, Mehgan al-Bukhari was a renowned Persian scholar and philosopher who made significant contributions to the fields of logic and metaphysics. His works were widely studied and influential in the Islamic world during the medieval period.
Another historical figure named Mehgan was Mehgan Banu Begum, a princess of the Delhi Sultanate in the 13th century. She was known for her patronage of the arts and her support of poets and scholars, playing a crucial role in the cultural and intellectual life of the Delhi court.
In the 16th century, Mehgan Khan was a military commander and governor under the Mughal Empire in India. He was renowned for his bravery and leadership in various campaigns and battles, and his exploits were recorded in several historical texts of the time.
During the 19th century, Mehgan Agha was a prominent Iranian diplomat and statesman who served as the ambassador to several European countries, including France and Russia. He played a significant role in strengthening Iran's international relations and promoting cultural exchange between Persia and the Western world.
These are just a few examples of the many notable individuals throughout history who have borne the name Mehgan, reflecting its rich cultural heritage and significance in various regions and time periods.
People
Mehgan + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Mehgan 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
Mehgan: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Mehgan?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 518 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Mehgan 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 661,688 US residents.
Is Mehgan a common name?
We classify Mehgan as "Very Rare". It ranks above 84.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 543 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Mehgan most popular?
The single biggest year for Mehgan was 1986, when 36 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Mehgan is about 36 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Mehgan a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Mehgan 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.