This page is historical. Follow this link for the current version.
Dictionary of Medieval Names
from European Sources
☙

Morgan m. Middle Welsh mawr, Old Breton mor 'great' + Old Breton cant 'perfect, perfection' or Middle Welsh cant throng, host'.

The name of a few early Brythonic and Welsh kings.

Morgan & Morgan s.n. Morgan note two incorrect etymologies of the name which have led to interesting connections between Morgan and other names. They report an example of Seaborn which was "a name intended to translate Morgan", on account of a false etymology deriving the second element from geni 'to be born'. The name has also been connected to Pelagius, due to an identification of the prototheme with Proto-Celtic *mori 'sea'.

England
Early Modern English
● 1529 morgan PP-HenV p. 7; 1531 Morgan SaxhamSf p. 121; 1583 Morgaine StAnthonlin p. 30; 1587 Morgan DEmar-vol2 p. 13; 1590 Morgan ibid. p.22; 1592 Morganne StAnthonlin p. 35
Wales
Latin
● 1198 Morgant (nom) Pryce-1st no. 8; 1206 Morgant (gen) ibid. no. 9; 1497 Morgan (nom) ArchCambIII p. 107, Morgaunt (nom) ibid. p. 107, morgant (nom) ibid. p. 107
Cite as: S.L. Uckelman. "Morgan". In S.L. Uckelman, ed. The Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, Edition 2016, no. 1. http://dmnes.org/2016/1/name/Morgan.