Megan is a Welsh short form of Margaret, which comes from the Greek margarites and means "pearl". It left Wales in the 20th century and became one of the signature names of American girls born in the 1980s and 1990s. Megan was still in the top 20 in 2000, at number 18, but has slid steadily since then, from number 385 in 2015 to number 889 in 2025.