unisex name
Morgan
MOR-gun
- Origin Welsh
- Gender Unisex
- Syllables 2
- Letters 6
- Popularity Top 1000 (US)
- Births on record 349,495
the United States
#312
2025 births
Morgan is a Welsh name meaning sea-born, and it charts in all seven markets we track within a range of just over three hundred places — one of the most evenly distributed names on this site. About 72 percent of the births in our records are female.
- Morgan is a name of Welsh origin.
- Peaked in 1995, when 12,135 babies were given the name.
- It has been falling over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 2,197 babies in the United States is given this name.
- Morgan started out as a boys' name and is now given almost entirely to girls.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Morgan over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1880s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 252 |
| 1890s | 255 |
| 1900s | 257 |
| 1910s | 1,189 |
| 1920s | 1,527 |
| 1930s | 1,205 |
| 1940s | 1,296 |
| 1950s | 1,878 |
| 1960s | 2,799 |
| 1970s | 4,898 |
| 1980s | 31,493 |
| 1990s | 101,296 |
| 2000s | 78,594 |
| 2010s | 31,642 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 10,688 |
What Morgan means
Morgan means sea-born, or sea-circle. The Welsh joins a word for the sea to one usually read as born or as a circle, and the second element is less certain than the first.
Where Morgan comes from
Morgan is the Welsh Morcant, from mor, the sea, joined to an element read either as cant, a circle, or as geni, born. It was a man's name in Wales for well over a thousand years and remains overwhelmingly male there. The female use comes from a different direction entirely: Morgan le Fay, King Arthur's half-sister and antagonist in the French romances, whose name may not be Welsh at all but a rendering of an Irish sea-figure. English-speaking countries outside Wales took the name up as unisex in the twentieth century, and it has become majority female in America while staying male in Wales.
Morgan in use
Morgan peaked in the United States in 1995, when 12,135 babies were registered, and is falling in our data. It charts in all seven markets within a strikingly narrow band — 312th in the United States on 1,509 births, 331st in England and Wales on 193, 420th in Canada, 431st in Northern Ireland, 487th in Scotland, 554th in France on 80 and 615th in Ireland. About 72 percent of recorded births are female, though that figure hides a national split: it remains a boys' name in Wales.
How popular is Morgan?
In 2025, Morgan was given to 1,509 babies in the United States, ranking #312 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Where Morgan is used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
Names that peaked alongside Morgan
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Morgan also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Morgan over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
1 nickname for Morgan
Each one is a name in its own right — the figure underneath is how it is doing today, so you can see which short forms are rising and which have faded.
Morgan in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
Sibling names for Morgan
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Morgan — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Morgan
What does the name Morgan mean?
Sea-born, from the Welsh mor, sea — though the second element is less certain than the first.
Is Morgan a boys' or girls' name?
Both. About 72 percent of the births in our records are female, but it remains a boys' name in Wales.
Who was Morgan le Fay?
Arthur's half-sister in the French romances. Her name may render an Irish sea-figure rather than the Welsh name.
Where is Morgan used?
All six markets we track, from 312th in the United States to 615th in Ireland.
How popular is the name Morgan?
In 2025, Morgan was given to 1,509 babies in the United States, ranking #312 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
How many syllables are in Morgan?
Morgan has 2 syllables.
When was Morgan most popular?
Morgan peaked in 1995, when 12,135 babies were given the name. It has been falling over the past decade.
What are the nicknames for Morgan?
Morgan is usually shortened to Mo.
Is Morgan a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Morgan currently ranks #312 in the United States. It has been falling over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.