Megan
Megan was the 889th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 301 babies. Its best year was 1985, when it ranked 10th; the most babies were born in 1990 (20,259). Over the last ten years it has moved down 504 places. More babies were named Megan in the 1990s than in any other decade.
Meaning pearl (Welsh pet form of Margaret) · Welsh, Greek
Say it MEG-un /ˈmɛɡən/
- Rank in 2025
- #889 girls, down 249 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 301girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 199020,259 babies
- Total since 1880
- 441,169babies recorded
What does the name Megan mean?
Megan began as a Welsh pet form of Margaret, made from Meg plus the diminutive suffix -an, according to Wiktionary, and is now used as an independent name. Margaret comes from Greek margaritēs, pearl, as DMNES explains. Wiktionary records several English pronunciations, MEG-un, MEE-gun and MAY-gun. In the US Megan was most common around 1990. US records show it from 1922.
Meg (English, “pet form of Margaret”)μαργαρίτης (Ancient Greek, “pearl”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Related names: Meghan, Meagan, Margaret, Meg, Maggie.
See also: Greek names, names that mean jewel.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Megan' (English section), Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
- Wiktionary, entry 'Megan' (Welsh section), Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, ed. S. L. Uckelman, Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Margaret', DMNES (Durham University)
- US Social Security Administration, national baby-name data 1880-2025 (yob*.txt), team3 computation of first year recorded, US Social Security Administration (public domain)
Nicknames for Megan
The usual nicknames for Megan are Meg.
| Nickname | Kind | Rank 2025 | Girls, 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meg · also for Margaret, Meghan, Meagan | Traditional | — | 21 |
Nicknames reviewed by our editors; counts are girls given the nickname as their legal first name. Nobody records how many Megans go by each one.
Megan popularity since 1880
A few boys are given the name too: 1,104 since 1968.
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #889 | 301 |
| 2020 | #640 | 453 |
| 2010 | #131 | 2,406 |
| 2000 | #18 | 11,436 |
| 1990 | #11 | 20,259 |
| 1980 | #30 | 9,134 |
| 1970 | #246 | 1,267 |
| 1960 | #506 | 365 |
| 1950 | #1,190 | 61 |
| 1940 | #3,128 | 9 |
| 1930 | #5,021 | 5 |
| 1920 | — | — |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Megan, counting every spelling?
Megan has no other common spelling that sounds the same. Counting every name's spellings together, it ranks #861 for girls in 2025, against #889 on the official list.
How many kids will share the name Megan?
301 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Megan (0.08 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Megan born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 28 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Megan.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Megan?
About 427,900 people born in the US named Megan are alive today, with a median age of 35; half are between 29 and 41. That makes Megan mostly worn by adults in their thirties to fifties.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Megan by state
How common Megan was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Florida (2.4×), Utah (2.2×), New Jersey (1.6×), Texas (1.6×). In 17 states fewer than five girls a year got the name, too few for SSA to publish, so those states show as zero.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Megan: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Megan, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Megan · Sibling names for Megan
Questions about the name Megan
What does Megan mean?
Megan means “pearl (Welsh pet form of Margaret)” (Welsh, Greek origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Megan?
Megan was the 889th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 301 babies. Its best year was 1985, when it ranked 10th; the most babies were born in 1990 (20,259). Over the last ten years it has moved down 504 places. More babies were named Megan in the 1990s than in any other decade.
Is Megan a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Megan in the US.
Where is Megan most popular?
In 2021–2025, Megan was most common in Florida (0.58 per 1,000 girls), followed by Utah and New Jersey.