Meggen

Meaning & origin

Meggen is a rare American coinage, first recorded in 1973 according to Social Security data, and it has never entered widespread use. Its peak year was 1977, when it reached its highest frequency of use, though still too small to produce a meaningful rank. The name has since remained stable in obscurity, with no recorded births in the latest year (2025) and no concentration in any particular state. As a variant of Megan, it shares the Welsh roots of the more popular form, but it stands as a distinctly uncommon spelling choice. The 1-in-N statistic is not available due to the name's rarity, confirming its status as a niche selection. Parents choosing Meggen today would likely be drawn to its phonetic resemblance to fashionable names like Megan or Jenna, while seeking a distinctive spelling. Its late 20th-century emergence aligns with the trend of creative respellings, though it never caught on widely.

Meggen is a modern variant of Megan, a Welsh diminutive of Margaret. Margaret ultimately derives from the Greek μαργαρίτης (margarites) meaning 'pearl'. The name Megan gained popularity in the 20th century, particularly in Wales and English-speaking countries, and Meggen emerged as a spelling variation, possibly influenced by the common English suffix -en. It remains a rare name, with scattered usage in the United States since the 1970s.