| Megan | Gwen | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Pearl | White, fair, blessed |
| Origin | Welsh | Welsh |
| Gender | Girl | Girl |
| Pronunciation | MEG-an | GWEN |
| Syllables | 2 | 1 |
| First appeared | 1922 | 1890 |
| Peak year | 1990 (20,259) | 1959 (942) |
| In 2025 | 301 | 384 |
| Trend | Declining | Rising |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Megan | Gwen |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 2,429 | 2,113 |
| 2010s | 11,493 | 2,817 |
| 2000s | 66,833 | 1,453 |
| 1990s | 160,375 | 512 |
| 1980s | 153,500 | 1,071 |
| 1970s | 37,355 | 2,753 |
| 1960s | 5,916 | 5,961 |
| 1950s | 1,887 | 6,780 |
| 1940s | 191 | 4,050 |
| 1930s | 47 | 2,808 |
| 1920s | 39 | 1,337 |
| 1910s | 0 | 716 |
| 1900s | 0 | 186 |
| 1890s | 0 | 60 |
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.
Gwen means “white,” “fair” or “blessed” in Welsh.
Gwen is more popular than Megan today: about 384 US babies were given the name Gwen in 2025, compared with 301 named Megan.
Megan means Pearl (Welsh origin), while Gwen means White, fair, blessed (Welsh origin).
In US records, Megan first appears in 1922 and Gwen in 1890, so Gwen has the longer recorded history.