Meaghan
Megan is a Welsh feminine given name, originally a diminutive form of Margaret. Margaret is from the Greek μαργαρίτης (margarítēs), Latin margarīta, "pearl". Megan is one of the most popular Welsh-language names for women in Wales and England, and is commonly truncated to Meg.
- English
Meaning & Origin of Meaghan
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Megan is a Welsh feminine given name, originally a diminutive form of Margaret. Margaret is from the Greek μαργαρίτης (margarítēs), Latin margarīta, "pearl". Megan is one of the most popular Welsh-language names for women in Wales and England, and is commonly truncated to Meg.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)
- English
The Story of Meaghan
Meaghan first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby girl name in 1955, with 5 babies given the name that year. The name hit its high-water mark in 1986: 744 births, good for #325 nationwide. About 39% of every Meaghan on record arrived during the 1990s, its defining decade. As of 2026, Meaghan ranks #8,517 for baby girls with 11 births, with steady use. All told, over 14K Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1950s to the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Variants & Related Forms of Meaghan
Foreign forms, alternate spellings, and nicknames that share roots with Meaghan. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Names that sound like Meaghan
Phonetically similar names — useful when Meaghan is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.
Frequently Asked Questions about Meaghan
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About the name Meaghan
Meaghan is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1955 and has accumulated 14K births in the dataset. Meaghan's peak popularity came in 1986 when it ranked #325. Use the chart and map above to compare Meaghan's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 1986 →
- Names of the 1980s →
- Names starting with "M" →
- Browse all girl names →
- Top names of 2026 →
Data sources
- Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
- Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
- Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
- Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
- Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .
Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.