| Megan | Elin | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Pearl | Light |
| Origin | Welsh | Welsh |
| Gender | Girl | Girl |
| Pronunciation | MEG-an | EL-in |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| First appeared | 1922 | 1893 |
| Peak year | 1990 (20,259) | 2011 (428) |
| In 2025 | 301 | 53 |
| Trend | Declining | Declining |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Megan | Elin |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 2,429 | 553 |
| 2010s | 11,493 | 3,032 |
| 2000s | 66,833 | 369 |
| 1990s | 160,375 | 143 |
| 1980s | 153,500 | 145 |
| 1970s | 37,355 | 111 |
| 1960s | 5,916 | 109 |
| 1950s | 1,887 | 138 |
| 1940s | 191 | 164 |
| 1930s | 47 | 77 |
| 1920s | 39 | 85 |
| 1910s | 0 | 87 |
| 1900s | 0 | 25 |
| 1890s | 0 | 14 |
Megan is a Welsh pet form of Margaret, and so ultimately traces to the Greek margaritēs, “pearl.” Long a favourite in Wales, it spread widely across the English-speaking world.
Elin is the Welsh form of Helen, “light” or “torch.”
Megan is more popular than Elin today: about 301 US babies were given the name Megan in 2025, compared with 53 named Elin.
Megan means Pearl (Welsh origin), while Elin means Light (Welsh origin).
In US records, Megan first appears in 1922 and Elin in 1893, so Elin has the longer recorded history.