FastNamesMorgan
Welsh and Celtic name meaning "Derived from the Old Welsh masculine name Morcant, combining môr ('sea') and cant ('circle', 'edge', or 'completion') or geni ('born'), conveying 'sea-born' or 'sea-circle'.". Ranked 312th for girls in 2025.
Meaning and origin of Morgan
Derived from the Old Welsh masculine name Morcant, combining môr ('sea') and cant ('circle', 'edge', or 'completion') or geni ('born'), conveying 'sea-born' or 'sea-circle'.
Linguistically, Morgan is classified under Welsh and Celtic naming traditions. It is typically pronounced "MOR-gən".
Popularity and ranking
In official US Social Security birth records from 1880 through 2025, Morgan has been given to a total of 223,626 girls. It has also been given to 45,643 boys.
Peak year: Morgan reached its highest relative share among girls in 1995, when 10,877 babies received the name (6,185 per million births).
All-time best rank: 22nd place, first achieved in 1997.
Recent standing (2025): Ranked 312th with 977 births. Ten years earlier in 2015, it ranked 121st (down 191 spots).
Busiest decade: More girls were named Morgan in the 1990s than in any other decade (91,196 births).
| Decade | Recorded births |
|---|---|
| 1910s | 5 |
| 1920s | 0 |
| 1930s | 5 |
| 1940s | 22 |
| 1950s | 110 |
| 1960s | 354 |
| 1970s | 1,569 |
| 1980s | 24,287 |
| 1990s | 91,196 |
| 2000s | 70,746 |
| 2010s | 27,641 |
| 2020s | 7,691 |
Source: Social Security Administration, national baby name data, data through 2025. Names given to fewer than five babies of one sex in a year aren't published, so totals are a little lower than actual births.
Where Morgan is most common in the US
Accounting for when Morgan was in fashion nationally, it has been most heavily concentrated in the following states (measured against the expected rate from each state's births):
- South Dakota: 2.1 times the national rate (997 births since 1910).
- Vermont: 2.0 times the national rate (556 births since 1910).
- Delaware: 2.0 times the national rate (914 births since 1910).
- Wyoming: 2.0 times the national rate (425 births since 1910).
- North Dakota: 1.9 times the national rate (859 births since 1910).
Source: Social Security Administration, baby names by state, data through 2025. Names given to fewer than five babies of one sex in a state in a year aren't published, so totals are a little lower than actual births.
How many people have the name Morgan?
About 220,000 living American girls and women share the name Morgan. Additionally, an estimated 38,500 living American boys and men share the name.
The median age of an American named Morgan is 27 years old.
Estimated from Social Security Administration records (1880–2025) and official SSA cohort mortality tables.
History of the name Morgan
Morgan represents one of Wales's most ancient and distinguished native personal names, stemming directly from the Old Welsh masculine compound Morcant. Linguists trace the first element to Brythonic môr, meaning 'sea', while the second element represents either cant, denoting a boundary, circle, or rim, or a derivative of geni, meaning 'born', together evoking maritime lineage and coastal power.
In Arthurian romance and Celtic legend, the name achieved mystical resonance through the figure of Morgan le Fay (Morgan the Fairy), king Arthur's enigmatic sorceress half-sister whose character evolved across medieval French and Welsh romances. Simultaneously, Morgan stood as a premier Welsh hereditary patronymic surname, distinguishing prominent noble lineages such as the Morgans of Tredegar.
In the United States, Morgan enjoyed longstanding usage as a traditional boy name before experiencing a rapid and widespread shift toward gender-neutrality beginning in the 1970s. In the 1990s, Morgan soared into the feminine national top thirty while continuing as an established masculine staple, prized for its balanced cadence, rich heritage, and maritime depth.
Notable people named Morgan
- Morgan Freeman (1937–), Legendary American Academy Award-winning actor
- Morgan Wallen (1993–), American chart-topping country music singer and songwriter
- J. P. Morgan (1837–1913), American financier and investment banker
- Alex Morgan (1989–), American professional soccer player and two-time World Cup champion
Variants and related names
Spelling variants
Diminutives and nicknames
Related names
Sources and references
- Patrick Hanks, Kate Hardcastle, Flavia Hodges. A Dictionary of First Names (2006), p. 198.
- E. G. Withycombe. The Oxford Dictionary of English Christian Names (1977), p. 222.
- Douglas Harper. Online Etymology Dictionary. Reference link.