UK girl's name
Meaghan
A feminine variant of the Irish name Meaghan meaning "pearl".
For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2014. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.
Meaghan is a girl's name in the UK records. People looking for Meaghan popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2014 in this profile. In that release it ranked #4684, with 4 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 1998, with 19 births.
This profile covers 107 England and Wales registrations across 14 recorded years from 1996 to 2014. The figures come from ONS England and Wales, NRS Scotland and NISRA Northern Ireland, so the page is a view of published baby-name registrations rather than a forecast or a live count of people using the name today.
The latest count is about 21% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 173 living people in the UK are called Meaghan. This uses published birth registrations from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, then applies ONS national life tables to estimate how many are likely still alive. It does not forecast extra births for 2015 or 2026.
Key insights
- • Meaghan ranked #4684 for girls in England and Wales in 2014, with 4 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 1998, when 19 girls were registered as Meaghan.
- • Meaghan ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #363 in 2011.
- • About 173 living people in the UK are estimated to have Meaghan as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#4684
2014
Births in 2014
4
Latest year
Peak year
1998
19 births
Estimated living
173
2026
Meaning
What does Meaghan mean?
The name Meaghan is a feminine given name of Irish origin, derived from the ancient Irish Gaelic name Medhbh or Meadhbh. In Irish mythology, Medhbh was a powerful warrior queen who ruled over the western province of Connacht. The name is believed to have originated sometime around the 5th or 6th century AD.
The name Medhbh is thought to be derived from the Old Irish words "med" meaning "intoxicating" and "bh" meaning "she" or "woman." The name was originally spelled with the older Gaelic form "Meadhbh" or "Medhbh," but over time, it evolved into various Anglicized spellings like Meaghan, Megan, Meagan, and Meghan.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Medhbh can be found in the ancient Irish epic "Táin Bó Cúailnge" (The Cattle Raid of Cooley), which dates back to the 8th or 9th century AD. In this epic, Medhbh is portrayed as a formidable and assertive queen who leads her army into battle against the legendary hero Cú Chulainn.
Throughout history, there have been several notable women named Meaghan or variations of the name. One of the earliest was Medhbh, the semi-legendary Queen of Connacht, who is believed to have lived in the 1st century AD. Another notable bearer of the name was Medhbh Ní Mhordha, an Irish noblewoman and landowner from the 16th century.
In more recent times, Meaghan Oppenheimer (born 1968) is an American writer and co-founder of the non-profit organization "The Babybox Company." Meaghan Rath (born 1986) is a Canadian actress known for her roles in the TV shows "Hawaii Five-0" and "New Girl." Meaghan Penlington (born 1989) is a former Australian rules football player who played for the Adelaide Crows in the AFL Women's competition.
Meaghan Morin (born 1989) is a Canadian professional wrestler and former Olympic weightlifter. Meaghan Martin (born 1992) is an American actress best known for her role in the Disney Channel series "Camp Rock."
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Meaghan over time
The chart below shows babies named Meaghan registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 1996 to 2014. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.
For Meaghan, the clearest high point is 1998. The latest England and Wales figure is 4 births in 2014, compared with 19 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Meaghan by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Meaghan was a short-lived spike or a name that stayed in regular use. Average rank is calculated only from years where a published rank exists.
| Decade | Average rank | Total births | Years covered |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | #3650 | 19 | 3 |
| 2000s | #3352 | 38 | 7 |
| 1990s | #1598 | 50 | 4 |
Geography
Where Meaghan is most common
The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Meaghan. They are useful for spotting where the name is showing up in real numbers, while the rank beside each bar shows how strongly it performs inside that region.
Meaghan ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #363 in 2011.
Across the UK
Meaghan in Scotland and Northern Ireland
Scotland (NRS)
#379 in 1999
6 years of NRS records, 35 total registered
Northern Ireland (NISRA)
#363 in 2011
8 years of NISRA records, 32 total registered
Notable bearers
Famous people named Meaghan
-
Meaghan Kall
epidemiologist; science communicator
US-UK epidemiologist
Related
Names similar to Meaghan
- Megan 70,884
- Mia 67,204
- Molly 47,734
- Millie 44,390
- Maisie 32,671
- Matilda 29,965
- Maya 26,445
- Madison 18,441
- Maria 17,304
- Mollie 15,914
- Martha 15,116
- Maddison 14,918
FAQ
Meaghan: questions and answers
How popular is the name Meaghan in the UK right now?
In 2014, Meaghan was ranked #4684 for girls in England and Wales, with 4 births registered.
When was Meaghan most popular?
The peak year on record was 1998, with 19 babies registered as Meaghan in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Meaghan?
A feminine variant of the Irish name Meaghan meaning "pearl".
How many people are called Meaghan in the UK?
A total of 107 babies have been registered as Meaghan across the 14 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 35 more in Scotland and 32 in Northern Ireland.
Where is Meaghan most common?
In the latest published local rankings, Meaghan ranks best in Northern Ireland, where it placed #363 in 2011. The regional bars on this page use birth counts, so they also reflect the size of each region.
Which records is this page based on?
The England and Wales timeline uses ONS baby-name records. Scotland figures come from NRS and Northern Ireland figures come from NISRA. Counts are registrations in published baby-name files. The living estimate uses those birth registrations with ONS national life tables.