| Megan | Rhiannon | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Pearl | great queen |
| Origin | Welsh | welsh |
| Gender | Girl | Girl |
| Pronunciation | MEG-an | ree-AN-un |
| Syllables | 2 | 3 |
| First appeared | 1922 | 1974 |
| Peak year | 1990 (20,259) | 1999 (651) |
| In 2025 | 301 | 210 |
| Trend | Declining | Steady |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Megan | Rhiannon |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 2,429 | 1,245 |
| 2010s | 11,493 | 1,444 |
| 2000s | 66,833 | 4,075 |
| 1990s | 160,375 | 3,833 |
| 1980s | 153,500 | 3,276 |
| 1970s | 37,355 | 1,666 |
| 1960s | 5,916 | 0 |
| 1950s | 1,887 | 0 |
| 1940s | 191 | 0 |
| 1930s | 47 | 0 |
| 1920s | 39 | 0 |
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.
Thought to derive from the reconstructed Celtic 'Rigantona', meaning 'great queen' (from the root 'rigani', queen). A figure of sovereignty in the Welsh Mabinogi. The reconstruction is scholarly, so the 'great queen' sense is widely accepted but not attested directly.
Megan is more popular than Rhiannon today: about 301 US babies were given the name Megan in 2025, compared with 210 named Rhiannon.
Megan means Pearl (Welsh origin), while Rhiannon means great queen (welsh origin).
In US records, Megan first appears in 1922 and Rhiannon in 1974, so Megan has the longer recorded history.