FastNamesMorgan Surname
Welsh and Celtic surname meaning "Personal name and patronymic surname derived from Old Welsh Morcant, composed of mor ('sea') and cant ('circle' or 'edge'), or cognate with geni ('born'), signifying 'sea-born' or 'sea-defender'.". Ranked 69th in the United States with 286,280 recorded bearers in the 2010 Census (97.0 per 100,000 Americans).
Meaning and origin of the surname Morgan
Personal name and patronymic surname derived from Old Welsh Morcant, composed of mor ('sea') and cant ('circle' or 'edge'), or cognate with geni ('born'), signifying 'sea-born' or 'sea-defender'.
Historically and linguistically, Morgan belongs to the Welsh and Celtic family of surnames. It is conventionally pronounced "MOR-gən".
United States Census frequency and ranking
In the official 2010 United States Census, Morgan was recorded 286,280 times, ranking as the 69th most common surname in the nation.
This represents an incidence rate of approximately 97.05 bearers per 100,000 Americans, or roughly 1 out of every 1,030 residents.
Race and ethnicity distribution
According to official decennial Census genealogy microdata, individuals bearing the surname Morganreported the following racial and ethnic affiliations in the 2010 US Census:
| Racial or ethnic group | Share of bearers |
|---|---|
| White | 76.07% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 2.78% |
| Black or African American | 17.27% |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 0.54% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 1.24% |
| Two or more races | 2.10% |
Source: US Census Bureau, 2010 Census Surnames Data. Percentages may not sum to exactly 100% due to independent rounding or suppression of small cell counts for privacy protection.
History of the surname Morgan
Morgan is one of the most illustrious and ancient surnames originating in Wales, derived from the Old Welsh personal name Morcant. The name's etymology unites Celtic mor ('sea') with cant ('circle', 'perimeter', or 'completion'), or an ancient Celtic root signifying 'born from the sea' (cognate with Old Breton Uuormorgant). In Welsh Arthurian tradition, the name is famously associated with the sorceress Morgan le Fay.
The surname arose through the transition from Welsh patronymics (*ap Morgan*, 'son of Morgan') to hereditary family names during the sixteenth-century Tudor administrative reforms. The Morgans of Tredegar in Monmouthshire represented one of the most powerful, wealthy, and ancient dynasties in South Wales, exerting immense political influence across Glamorgan and the Welsh border for centuries.
Welsh emigrants brought Morgan to colonial Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Massachusetts in large numbers during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. The name attained monumental stature in American finance through J. P. Morgan (1837–1913), founder of J.P. Morgan & Co. In the 2010 United States Census, Morgan ranked 69th nationally with 286,280 recorded bearers.
Notable people with the surname 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 surnames
Spelling variants
Related surnames
Sources and references
- Patrick Hanks, Richard Coates, Peter McClure. The Oxford Dictionary of Family Names in Britain and Ireland (2016), p. 1872.
- T. J. Morgan, Prys Morgan. Welsh Surnames (1985), p. 161.
- U.S. Census Bureau. 2010 Census Surnames Data (2016). Reference link.