The first name Morgan
A unisex name meaning “sea”, “great”, “circle”.
Pronounced /ˈmɔɹɡən/ 2 syllables Unisex Also a surname
Meaning and origin
Morgan means “sea”, “great”, “circle”.
from Old Welsh Morcant, possibly from *mor (“sea”) (Welsh môr) or *mọr (“great”) (Old Welsh maur) + *kantos (“circle”) (Welsh cant), meaning “great chief” or “sea chief”.
More names that mean sea.
From Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Popularity
Babies registered in England and Wales, 1996–2025
In 2025, 128 boys were named Morgan, making it the 331st most popular boys’ name. It peaked in 1999, with 1,343 births (#52).
Office for National Statistics; years with fewer than three births are not published and show as zero. Compare Morgan with other names.
Popularity in the United States
Babies named Morgan at birth, 1880–2025
In 2025, 977 girls born in the United States were named Morgan, the 312th most popular girls’ name that year. It was used most in 1995, when 10,877 were.
US Social Security Administration, from applications for a Social Security card. A name is only published for a year when at least five babies were given it, so quieter years show as zero.
Morgan in other languages
Equivalent forms of the name, from Wiktionary
Spelled Morgan in French, Italian and Swedish too.
Famous people named Morgan
83 on Wikidata, most written-about first
- Morgan FreemanAmerican actor and producer (born 1937)
- Morgan TsvangiraiFormer Prime Minister of Zimbabwe (1952-2018)
- Morgan SchneiderlinFrench footballer (born 1989)
- Morgan RogersEnglish association football player, born 2002
- Morgan FairchildAmerican actress, born 1950
- Morgan Gibbs-WhiteEnglish association football player (born 2000)
- Morgan SpurlockAmerican filmmaker, screenwriter, and producer (1970-2024)
- Morgan SansonFrench association football player (1994)
- Morgan AmalfitanoFrench footballer (born 1985)
- Morgan WallenAmerican country singer, born 1993
- Morgan TaylorAthletics competitor (1903-1975)
- Morgan WoodwardAmerican actor (1925-2019)
Questions
- What does the name Morgan mean?
- Morgan means “sea”, “great”, “circle”.
- How popular is the name Morgan?
- In 2025, 128 boys born in England and Wales were named Morgan, ranking 331st. Its peak was 1999, with 1,343 births.
- Is Morgan a boy's or a girl's name?
- Both. Of the 269,269 US babies named Morgan since 1880, 83% were girls and 17% boys.
- When was Morgan most popular?
- 1995 in the United States, when 10,877 babies were named Morgan, its highest rank at 23rd.
- How do you pronounce Morgan?
- Morgan is /ˈmɔɹɡən/, 2 syllables.
- Is Morgan also a surname?
- Yes. Morgan is used as a surname as well as a first name; its surname page has the origin and how many people carry it.