Name of the Week: Megan

 

Origin:

Megan is a Welsh diminutive form of Margaret. itself an anglicised form of the Latin Margarita, from the Greek margarites "pearl."  The medieval short form Megge -- in use from the 13th century --  was given the Welsh feminine diminutive -an, also found in Bethan, Betsan and Pegan.

Usage:

By its nature as a diminutive, paper evidence for Megan in use is hard to come by, as many early Megans would have been formally registered in records as Margaret. The spelling Megen, however, can be found as early as 1547, appearing in Wyllyam Salesbury's A Dictionary in Englyshe and Welshe.  The name also became the title of a romantic Welsh folk song Merch Megan or Wyres Megan, often translated into English as Megan's Fair Daughter or The Daughter of Megan, which tells the tale of a man's adoration and unrequited love for Megan's daughter. It appeared in John Parry's Twelve Airs for one and two Guitars in 1781 and Edward Jones' The Bardic Museum in 1802.  By the 19th century, when diminutive forms began to be given in their own right, we see Megan in more and more use. As a standalone name it was rather uncommon, and was seemingly much more used as an actual nickname than records suggest. It was mostly confined to Wales, though there were a few registrations in England. Births in England and Wales: 1840s: 0 births 1850s: 3 births 1860s: 1 birth 1870s: 4 births 1880s: 7 births 1890s: 18 births 1900s: 151 births 1910s: 2918 births 1920s: 3845 births 1930s: 1960 births 1940s: 1524 births 1950s: 840 births 1960s: 565 births Megan picked up more independent usage in the 1890s, ramped up in use in the early 1900s, exploded in the 1910s, and peaked in the 1920s. This coincided with not only the revival of Celtic names in Wales (some would have preferred Welsh Megan to anglicised Margaret), and the increased use of registering diminutive forms. London Daily News - 17 Nov 1910 It is interesting to note that, though already rising, Megan saw a marked increase after 1908 when Welsh politician David Lloyd George became Chancellor of the Exchequer, and another increase again when he became Prime Minister in 1916. His youngest daughter was named Megan, born in 1902, most likely after her mother Margaret. His other children were named Richard, Mair, Olwen and Gwilym, clearly showing a preference for Welsh-heritage names. Megan was a sweet little girl, and was often photographed on outings with her parents and mentioned in newspaper reports. Megan herself went into politics, becoming the first female Member of Parliament for a Welsh constituency in 1929, and Deputy Leader of the Liberal Party 1949-1952. She campaigned for a Welsh Parliament and was named a Companion of Honour posthumously in 1966. The 1920s also saw the fame of celebrated Welsh mezzo-soprano opera singer Leila Megane, born Margaret Jones (1891-1960) who may well also have glamourised the name. Dunkling's data per 10,000 births in England and Wales shows how Megan saw a dramatic rise by the end of the 20th century:  1900 1925 1935 1950 1955 1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985  1990    -    4    2    -    -    8    -    2    -    2     8     52 click to enlarge In England and Wales, Megan joined the top 100 in England and Wales at #17 in 1994. It was #5 by 1997 and peaked at #3 from 1998 to 2001.  From that time, in England, the name began to decrease in use, which has had a big effect on the overall rankings. However, in Wales individually, Megan increased in use, ranking #1 in 2004, 2005 and 2006. In the combined rankings, Megan left the top 10 in 2004 and the top 20 in 2009. However, in Wales alone, Megan was still in the top 10 until 2011.  In Scotland, Megan reached the top 100 at #87 in 1987 and was in the top 10 by 1994. It peaked at #2 in 1998 after which it steadily declined.  In 2014, Megan ranked #15 in Wales (131 births), #70 in England (748 births) -- #65 combined -- #68 (77 births) in Scotland and #54 (42 births) in Northern Ireland.

Famous Bearers:

History: * Lady Megan Lloyd George, CH (1902–1966), a Welsh politician. * Leila Megane (1891-1960), Welsh mezzo-soprano opera singer. * Megan Devenish Taylor (1920–1993), British figure skater and World Champion. Contemporary: * Megan Fox (b. 1986), American actress. * Meghan Trainor (b. 1993), American singer-songwriter. Literature and Other Media: * Megan "Meg" Griffin, a character in the television series Family Guy. * Megan Macey, a character in the television series Emmerdale.

Variants:

Meghan

Pronunciation:

MEG-ən [key]

Possible  diminutive:

Meg, Maggie

Sibling Names:

Ella     Freya     Scarlett     Ruby     Emily     Holly  Jack     Liam     Jenson     Evan     Dylan     Owen

Name Lists:

Cosy Celtic

 

If you like Megan you may also like:   Seren, Erin, Lauren, Ffion, Robyn, Hope, Leah, Katie, Maisie, Gwen

 

Thanks to Chamali for requesting this post.