Girls' name · since 1952
Meghan
Meghan has 96,500 recorded births since 1952 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1985 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #389 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #1,904 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 96,500
- born since 1952
- 1980s
- peak decade
Yes -- Meghan is the #1904 most popular girls' name in the U.S. today, with 96,500 recorded since 1952.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Meghan has been recorded 96,500 times among girls since 1952, currently ranked #1904 nationally and more common than 89% of girls, with its heaviest use in the 1980s. This profile covers year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution, all derived directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1952 to 2025.
- #389 of 72,339 all-time among girls
- #1,904 of 17,297 2025 SSA year
- 96,500 born since 1952
- 1980s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Meghan ranks #389 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #1,904 of 17,297 among girls' names in 2025. 96,500 born since 1952, peaking in the 1980s.
- #389 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #1,904 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 96,500
- born since 1952
- 1980s
- peak decade
Meghan's 96,500 recorded births place it above 99.46% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.
51 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by New York.
How Meghan compares
96,500 Top 3% higher than 97% of 17,297 names currently given to girls
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked girls names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Meghan's all-time total is 257x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Meghan | Median girls name (Kyann) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 96,500 | 376 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 4,669 | 21 | 19,840 |
Meghan's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Meghan's full recorded timeline at 1989, 56% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 44% in the earlier half -- a fairly even split across the full record. Its quietest year on record was 1952, with just 6 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1985 peak of 4,669 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Meghan popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1952–2025
- Peak year (1985)
- 4,669
- Annual births at peak, across 74 years of records
Meghan popularity over time - boys
227 total births recorded since 1974 (Meghan as boys' name)
Meghan by decade
1980s is the heaviest window (36,206 births, 38% of the file).
1980s was Meghan's strongest decade.
36,206 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 38% of all-time use.
Meghan births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1950s 102
1950s
102 births
- 1960s 958
1960s
958 births
- 1970s 9,358
1970s
9,358 births
- 1980s
1980s
36,206 births
- 1990s
1990s
31,500 births
- 2000s 14,085
2000s
14,085 births
- 2010s 3,045
2010s
3,045 births
- 2020s 1,246
2020s
1,246 births
What this shows Peak: 1980s at 36,206 births (38% of all-time use).
How Meghan compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 girls names closest to Meghan's total volume
Meghan by state
Where Meghan concentrates geographically, total births since 1952
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | New York | | 9,489 | 9.8% |
| #2 | California | | 7,004 | 7.3% |
| #3 | Massachusetts | | 6,474 | 6.7% |
| #4 | Pennsylvania | | 6,356 | 6.6% |
| #5 | Illinois | | 5,325 | 5.5% |
| #6 | New Jersey | | 4,796 | 5.0% |
| #7 | Ohio | | 4,391 | 4.6% |
| #8 | Texas | | 4,015 | 4.2% |
9,489 of 96,500 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Meghan appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Meghan? ▼
Where does Meghan sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Meghan most popular? ▼
Where is Meghan most popular? ▼
How long has the name Meghan been used? ▼
What names are similar to Meghan? ▼
What to do with Meghan's data
- Meghan's decade-level peak was the 1980s (36,206 total births); usage has since declined to 1,246 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- New York records the most Meghans (9,489 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. New York names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Meghan
Nearby Names Like Meghan
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Meghan
Compare Meghan side by side: Meghan vs Megan Meghan vs Meg Meghan vs Meghann
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Meghan
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Meghan: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1985)
Similar record span (~73 yrs)
Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.
Data Sources
Data as of August 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1952–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Meghan draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.