Morgan

Where the name comes from

• Welsh (also Old Breton and Cornish)
  Origin partly uncertain. The first part is most likely 'sea.' The meaning of the second part is unknown.
  Old Welsh Morcant, from Proto-Celtic *mori 'sea' + an element of uncertain meaning
  Morgan started as a man's name in medieval Wales, and the surname grew from it. Some scholars call the whole name 'of uncertain etymology.' You will often see 'sea circle,' 'great circle,' 'bright sea' and 'sea-born' given as its meaning. These are popular meanings, not proven ones. Name scholars call 'sea-born' a false etymology. It came from misreading the second part as a Welsh word meaning 'to be born.'
• Irish
  Irish families took up the Welsh name. It does not have a separate Irish meaning.
  Welsh Morgan, merged with Gaelic surnames such as Ó Muireagáin
  The Welsh surname came to Ireland and blended with several Gaelic surnames. One of them is Ó Muireagáin. An 1884 study of names says Morogh, a shortened Irish name, was usually rendered as Morgan.
• Scottish
  Probably from a Gaelic personal name related to Welsh Morcant
  Gaelic cognate of Morcant
  This is a surname origin. Sources give it as 'probably,' not certain.
• German (American surname)
  No meaning stated
  Altered form of the German surname Maugans
  This applies to some American families named Morgan only. It has nothing to do with the Welsh name.

Morgan across traditions

• Welsh. Several early Welsh and Brythonic kings were named Morgan. The region of Glamorgan (Welsh Morgannwg) is named for a Morgan who was a 10th-century Welsh prince. An 1884 history called Morgan very common in Wales.
• Arthurian legend. Morgan le Fay is the enchantress of the King Arthur stories. She is first named about 875 years ago in Geoffrey of Monmouth's Vita Merlini. There she rules Avalon and is skilled at healing and changing shape. Later romances made her Arthur's sister. In Sicily, the name Fata Morgana is still used for a mirage seen in the Strait of Messina.
• Christian. The early theologian Pelagius was traditionally said to have been named Morgan in Welsh. On this view, Pelagius (from Greek pelagos, 'sea') was a Greek translation of his name. The Spanish name Pelayo comes from Pelagius. It is linked to Morgan only through this story. It is not a Spanish form of Morgan.
• Caribbean and Latin American history. Sir Henry Morgan was a Welsh buccaneer born in Glamorgan. He became famous for raiding Spain's Caribbean colonies in the late 1600s.
• American. The Morgan horse breed is named for Justin Morgan, a Vermont horse breeder. Morgan became a popular girl's name in the US in the 1990s.

Who carried it

• Pelagius (Active about 1,600 years ago): Christian theologian. Tradition says his Welsh name was Morgan.
• Morgan Hen (Morgan the Old) (Died about 1,050 years ago): Welsh ruler. The kingdom of Morgannwg may be named for him.
• Sir Henry Morgan (1635–1688): Welsh buccaneer known for raids on Spain's Caribbean colonies.
• Justin Morgan (1747–1798): Vermont horse breeder and music teacher. The Morgan horse is named for him.

Forms in other languages

Morcant, Morgant, Morgwn, Morgaine, Morganne, Morgana, Morgans

Morgan in letter-number systems

Hebrew, Greek and other traditions gave every letter a number, and read meaning into the totals. These are the counts, computed; the readings are inside the Innerverse.