Morgan is a name of Welsh and Breton origin. Traditionally, it is a masculine-coded name in

Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

and

Brittany Brittany ( ) is a peninsula, historical country and cultural area in the north-west of modern France, covering the western part of what was known as Armorica in Roman Gaul. It became an Kingdom of Brittany, independent kingdom and then a Duch ...

, but has been decoupled from its traditional gender outside of its regions of origin. It spread in popularity outside of Welsh and Breton communities during the past century, including in France, and in English-speaking countries worldwide. Morgan is also used as a surname, derived from the given name. The name is a descendant of

Old Welsh Old Welsh () is the stage of the Welsh language from about 800 AD until the early 12th century when it developed into Middle Welsh.Koch, p. 1757. The preceding period, from the time Welsh became distinct from Common Brittonic around 550, ha ...

''Morcant'', possibly derived from ''môr'' (meaning "sea") and "''cant''" (the circle) or "''gen''" (come / origin) with the meaning: "sea chief", "sea protector", "sea defender" or "sailor/captain". Contemporaneous records of the first Mormaer, or count de Mar, spelt his name Morggán, Earl of Mar. The use of the name for women may be inspired by the character Morgan le Fay from Arthurian legend. For the etymology of Morgan le Fay, see . In the United States it is commonly used for any gender, although it has become a more popular name for women than men since the 1990s. The name is also used for any gender in other English-speaking countries, including Canada, Australia, the United Kingdom and New Zealand. The French feminine version of the name is Morgane.

Notable people

Female

* Morgan Andrews (born 1995), American soccer player * Morgan Brittany (born 1951), American actress * Morgan Fairchild (born 1950), American actress * Morgan Featherstone (born 1994), Australian fashion model * Morgan Gautrat (born 1993), American soccer player * Morgan Hurd (born 2001), American gymnast * Morgan James (born 1981), American musician * Morgan Joanel, Australian pop singer-songwriter and visual artist * Morgan Pressel (born 1988), American professional golfer * Morgan Romano (born 1998), American model and beauty queen * Morgan Tuck (born 1994), American basketball player * Morgan Webb (born 1978), American television presenter and producer * Morgan White (born 1983), American gymnast * Morgan William (born 1996), American basketball player

Male

* Morgan (bishop), Bishop-elect of Durham in 1215 and illegitimate son of King Henry II of England *

Morgan Bulkeley Morgan Gardner Bulkeley (December 26, 1837 – November 6, 1922) was an American politician of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, businessman, and insurance executive. In 1876, he served as the first president of baseball's ...

(1837–1922), American politician and businessman * Morgan Burtwistle (born 2001), English Twitch streamer and YouTuber * Morgan Davies (born 2001), Australian actor * Morgan De Sanctis (born 1977), Italian soccer player *

Morgan Earp Morgan Seth Earp (April 24, 1851 – March 18, 1882) was an American sheriff and Marshal, lawman. He served as Tombstone, Arizona, Tombstone, Arizona Territory, Arizona's Special Policeman when he helped his brothers Virgil Earp, Virgil and W ...

(1851–1882), American lawman, brother of Wyatt Earp * Morgan Ensberg (born 1975), American baseball player * Morgan Dix (1827–1908), American Episcopal Church priest, theologian, and religious author * Morgan M. Finley (1925–2016), American politician and businessman * Morgan Fisher (born 1950), British musician and photographer *

Morgan Freeman Morgan Freeman (born June 1, 1937) is an American actor, producer, and narrator. In a career spanning six decades, he has received numerous accolades, including an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award, as well as a nomination for a Tony ...

(born 1937), American actor, director, and narrator * Morgan Green (born 1987), American footballer * Morgan Grim (born 1988), American basketball player * Morgan Hamm (born 1982), American gymnast * Morgan Johansson (born 1970), Swedish politician * Morgan Jones (disambiguation), several people * Morgan Luttrell (born 1975), American politician * Morgan Nicholls (born 1971), English musician * Morgan Philips Price (1885–1973), British politician *

Morgan Phillips Morgan Walter Phillips (18 June 1902 – 15 January 1963) was a colliery worker and trade union activist who became the General Secretary of the British Labour Party, involved in two of the party's election victories. Life Born in Aberdare, Gla ...

(1902–1963), Welsh politician and trade union activist, General Secretary of the British Labour Party * Morgan Rielly (born 1994), Canadian ice hockey player * Morgan Sanson (born 1994), French soccer player * Morgan Schneiderlin (born 1989), French soccer player * Morgan Spurlock (1970–2024), American filmmaker, screenwriter and producer * Morgan Stevens (1951–2022), American actor *

Morgan Tsvangirai Morgan Richard Tsvangirai (; ; 10 March 1952 – 14 February 2018) was a Zimbabwean politician who was Prime Minister of Zimbabwe from 2009 to 2013. He was president of the Movement for Democratic Change, and later the Movement for Democrati ...

(1952–2018), prime minister of Zimbabwe from 2009 to 2013 *

Morgan Wallen Morgan Cole Wallen (born May 13, 1993) is an American country pop singer from Sneedville, Tennessee. He competed in the The Voice (American season 6), sixth season of ''The Voice (American TV series), The Voice''. After being eliminated in the ...

(born 1993), American country pop musician * Morgan Ward (1901–1963), American mathematician * Morgan White (1924–2010), American radio DJ and actor * Morgan Wootten (1931–2020), American basketball coach

Fictional characters

Morgan le Fay Morgan le Fay (; Welsh language, Welsh and Cornish language, Cornish: Morgen; with ''le Fay'' being garbled French language, French ''la Fée'', thus meaning 'Morgan the Fairy'), alternatively known as Morgan , Morgain /e Morgant Mor ...

, a powerful enchantress in the Arthurian legend * Morgan Jones, in ''The Walking Dead'' franchise * Arthur Morgan, main character of The game

Red Dead Redemption 2 ''Red Dead Redemption 2'' is a 2018 action-adventure game developed and published by Rockstar Games. The game is the third entry in the ''Red Dead'' series and a prequel to the 2010 game ''Red Dead Redemption''. The story is set in a fictiona ...

*Morgan the Midnight Fairy, in the book series '' Rainbow Magic'' * Morgan Stark, a Marvel comics character ** the Marvel Cinematic Universe version of the character

References

{{given name English masculine given names Masculine given names English feminine given names Feminine given names Given names originating from a surname Irish unisex given names Scottish masculine given names Welsh unisex given names English unisex given names English-language unisex given names