Meghan

Meaning and origin

Meghan is an English spelling of Megan, a Welsh familiar form of Margaret. Its traditional meaning is “pearl,” reaching back through Latin Margarita to Greek margarites. The compact modern spelling therefore belongs to a name family with a much longer history.

Megan developed in Wales as a short form and became widely used independently. Outside Wales, it became a regular choice in the English-speaking world from the middle of the twentieth century. Meghan belongs to the group of English spellings that grew around that familiar form.

The Greek word for pearl may itself have come from an Indo-Iranian language. That older word history sits behind the many forms of Margaret, including Welsh Megan and English Meghan.

Pronunciation and related forms

Meghan is pronounced MEG-un, with two syllables and the stress on the first. The added h does not create a separate sound in the usual English pronunciation. It therefore sounds like Megan while giving the name a different written shape.

Meg is an established short form. Megan, Meagan, Meaghan, Maegan, Meghann, and Maeghan are related spellings. The differences lie chiefly in the written vowels and consonants, with Meghan retaining a particularly recognizable gh combination.

Margaret is the longer name behind the family. International relatives include French Marguerite, Italian Margherita, Spanish Margarita, and Welsh Marged. Meghan’s link with these names runs through Megan and Margaret, rather than through a separate word meaning.

Meghan Markle and the 2018 wedding

Meghan Markle brought this exact spelling to a large international audience. Her marriage to Prince Harry took place on May 19, 2018, at St George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle.

The ceremony brought together British royal traditions and participants from the United States. The Dean of Windsor led the service, the Archbishop of Canterbury solemnized the marriage, and Bishop Michael Curry of the American Episcopal Church gave the address.

After the ceremony, the couple traveled through Windsor in a carriage procession, with crowds lining the route. The reception took place in St George’s Hall at the castle.

The event made Meghan a familiar name in reports and broadcasts around the world. For American naming, however, the spelling’s strongest period came decades earlier, showing that its history extends well beyond this royal association.

Popularity in the United States

Meghan’s strongest American year for girls was 1985, when 4,669 babies received the name and it ranked number 63. That peak places it firmly among names especially familiar to a generation born in the 1980s.

It ranked number 1,083 in 2015, number 880 in 2020, and number 1,906 in 2025. The recent figures are substantially below the name’s mid-1980s high, while its relationship with Megan and Margaret remains unchanged.

How popular is Meghan?

In 2025, Meghan ranked #1,906 among girls in the United States, with 102 recorded uses. The U.S. birth records first list this spelling for girls in 1952; its largest annual count was 4,669 in 1985. Rankings count each spelling separately. They describe national use, so local familiarity can differ. The popularity chart shows whether the name has remained common, returned after a quieter period, or risen recently.