Morghan
A feminine name derived from the Welsh name "Morgan", meaning "sea circle".
Name Census estimates that about 1,273 living Americans carry the first name Morghan. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Morghan today is around 24 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Morghan births was 2006 (61 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Morghan. 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
1.3K
~ 1 in 269,249 Americans
Peak year
2006
61 babies that year
Average age
24
years old
2004 SSA rank
#12,601
Tracked since 1981
Gender
Gender distribution for Morghan
Out of the 1,301 babies given the name Morghan since 1880, 99.6% 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.
Morghan as a male name
- Ranked #12,601 in 2004
- 5 male births in 2004
- Peak: 2004 (5 births)
Morghan as a female name
- Ranked #16,902 in 2021
- 5 female births in 2021
- Peak: 2006 (61 births)
Popularity
Morghan: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Morghan 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 503 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
Morghan 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 Morghan during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Morghans live
The SSA's state-level files cover 12 states and territories. Texas, Florida, Ohio recorded the most babies named Morghan, while South Carolina, Missouri, Indiana recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 8 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Morghan
The name Morghan is a modern variant spelling of the Welsh name Morgan, which is derived from the Old Welsh words "mor" meaning "sea" and "gan" meaning "born." Traditionally, the name Morgan was given to children born by the sea or near a body of water.
In ancient Welsh mythology, Morgan was the name of a powerful enchantress and healer who lived on the island of Avalon. She was associated with the legendary King Arthur and was said to possess great magical abilities. The name Morgan gained popularity in the Middle Ages due to the widespread influence of Arthurian legends.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Morgan can be found in the 12th-century work "Historia Regum Britanniae" (History of the Kings of Britain) by Geoffrey of Monmouth. In this text, Morgan is depicted as a skilled healer and a key figure in the Arthurian tales.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Morgan or its variants. One of the most famous was Morgan le Fay, a powerful sorceress in Arthurian legend who was portrayed as both a villain and a benevolent figure, depending on the source. She was said to have lived during the late 5th or early 6th century.
Another historically significant figure was Morgan ap Rhys (c. 1140-1208), a Welsh prince and military leader who fought against the Norman invasion of Wales. He was known for his bravery and resistance against the Norman rulers.
In the 16th century, there was Morgan Llwyd (c. 1545-1609), a Welsh poet and writer who is considered one of the most important figures in Welsh literature during the Renaissance period.
During the 17th century, Morgan Philips Price (1619-1696) was a prominent Welsh politician and writer who played a significant role in the English Civil War and the restoration of the monarchy.
Another notable figure was Morgan Vaughan (1675-1730), a Welsh physician and author who wrote extensively on medical topics and was considered an expert in his field.
While the name Morgan has been in use for centuries, the variant spelling Morghan is a more modern form that emerged in recent times. It retains the Welsh roots and the association with the sea, while adding a unique twist to the traditional spelling.
People
Morghan + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Morghan 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
Morghan: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Morghan?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,273 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Morghan 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 269,249 US residents.
Is Morghan a common name?
We classify Morghan as "Rare". It ranks above 91.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,301 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Morghan most popular?
The single biggest year for Morghan was 2006, when 61 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Morghan is about 24 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Morghan a female name?
Yes, 99.6% of people registered as Morghan 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.