Entry № 1617 · Welsh origin

Megan Megan — Meaning, Origin & Baby Name Popularity

/ MEH-gan /
Gender
Girl
Origin
Welsh
Meaning
"Pearl (Welsh form of Margaret; Megan Rapinoe, Meghan Markle)"
Syllables
2
Rank · US 2025
№ 525
First recorded
Medieval (Welsh)

A name that means "pearl (welsh form of margaret; megan rapinoe, meghan markle)".

Megan is the Welsh diminutive of Margaret — from the Greek margarites (pearl). **A top-20 US baby name from 1985 to 2001, peaking at #10 in 1990**. **Megan Rapinoe (born 1985)** — American soccer star; **co-captain of the US team that won the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup; led the equal-pay lawsuit that resulted in US Soccer paying women equally to men**. **Meghan Markle (Duchess of Sussex, born 1981)** — American actress; married Prince Harry in 2018. **Megan Smith (born 1964)** — Third Chief Technology Officer of the United States under Obama.

Subject of countless soccer documentaries and the 2019 USWNT Equal Pay lawsuit chronicled in *LFG* (2021).

Pearl, in Welsh. Megan Rapinoe's 2019 World Cup; Meghan Markle's Sussex wedding.

The name in its native script.

Megan
Transliteration
Megan
Pronunciation
/ ˈmɛɡ.ən /
Root
Grammatical form

Where Megan stands.

Current rank · 2025
№ 525 in the U.S.
All-time peak
№ 10 in 1990
Babies named Megan · last year
580 in the U.S.
First entered SSA top-1000
1955
Rank, 1995–2025 Lower = more popular
№25 №75 №150 №250 1995 2005 2015 2020 2025 PEAK · #10 NOW · #525

Megans before her.

Real people
Megan Rapinoe
American soccer World Cup champion.
born 1985
Meghan Markle
Duchess of Sussex.
born 1981
Megan Smith
Third US Chief Technology Officer.
born 1964
In fiction
Megan
Mad Men.
2007

Names connected to Megan.

The number behind Megan.

9

The Humanitarian

Megan reduces to nine — the number of Welsh pearl.

Why families chose this name.

"Welsh pearl. Five letters. Megan."
Carys · Mother of one · Cardiff