Morrigan
Feminine · “great queen”
The Morrigan is one of the most formidable figures in Irish literature — a goddess who turns up at battles, sometimes as a woman and sometimes as a crow, dealing in prophecy rather than in mercy. The name is not a soft one, and it does not pretend to be.
How old is the name Morrigan?
Morrigan first appears in US birth records in 1995 — 30 years ago. The typical Morrigan is a kid of about 11 — this name's wave is very recent. About 1,100 people named Morrigan are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Morrigan most popular?
Morrigan peaked in 2023, reaching #2555 nationally. Today it ranks #2719, 164 places below that high. See the whole 2023 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
From Mórrígan to Morrigan
The story of Morrigan
She belongs to the Ulster Cycle and the Mythological Cycle, appearing across several medieval Irish texts: she offers herself to Cú Chulainn and is refused, then works against him; she washes at a ford before a battle to show whose death is coming. She is often described as one of three sisters, and the crow is her most persistent shape. The name was not given to actual children in medieval Ireland — it belonged to her — and its use as a personal name is entirely modern, arriving through fantasy fiction, neopagan practice and a wider interest in Irish mythology.
Meaningscholars disagree
great queen — or phantom queen
The second element is not in doubt: Old Irish rigan, 'queen'. The first is. Read as mor it means 'great', giving the great queen. Read as mor- it connects to an older word for terror or nightmare — the same root behind the English mare in nightmare — giving the phantom queen. Medieval Irish scribes themselves disagreed, and both readings are still defended.
How the name formed
- Mórrígan
- Morrigan
Related forms: An Mórrígan · Mórrígu
Pronouncing Morrigan
MOR-ee-gan
Three syllables with the stress on the first. Old Irish had a longer o and a stress pattern English does not use; MOR-ih-gun is the standard modern saying and the one the name will actually meet.
Nicknames for Morrigan
Moderate
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1995
- Most girls named
- 202369 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #2555reached in 2023
- Change vs 2024
- +53.7%63 in 2025, from 41
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Morrigan in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- An Mórrígan in Irish — spelling variant
- Mórrígu in Irish — related form
Strongest US states over the last decade: California, Texas, New York.
Morrigans among us
people named Morrigan are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 girl in 25,512 born in 2025 was named Morrigan
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
What happens to a name after it peaks
The Julieanna test
Every popular name lives one long story — a climb, a peak, a slow settling back. Morrigan's later chapters haven't been written yet, so we borrowed them: Julieanna climbed just as high around 2006, and its whole arc is on record. Line the two peaks up, and Julieanna's path sketches the road Morrigan is walking now.
Morrigan sits in the calm middle of the cycle — neither chasing a wave nor sliding off one. Middle-of-the-cycle names age slowly and predictably.
A scored estimate from 146 years of naming cycles — not a prophecy. Great names outlive statistics. How this is scored
Where Morrigan is headed
Morrigan should hold steady through 2030 — the curve is flat, and flat curves are the most predictable kind.
Medium confidence — fitted on official counts through 2025.
A damped-trend projection of the official birth data — a sketch of momentum, not a promise. Every name's forecast, ranked.
Morrigan beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Morrigan in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US girls given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- A documented figure in a real literary tradition, with medieval texts behind her rather than a modern invention.
- Rare enough to be distinctive and familiar enough, through fantasy and gaming, not to need explaining to everyone.
- Mo and Mori give it easy everyday forms, which a long name needs.
- She is a goddess of war, slaughter and prophecy, and anyone who looks her up will find that first.
- The name has a strong presence in fantasy fiction and games, which will be the association many people reach for.
- Morrigan, Morrighan and Morgan crowd each other, so it will be misspelled often.
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What they receive
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Morrigan
Feminine · #2719 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Morrigans are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 1,100 people named Morrigan are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Morrigan in 2025?
- Morrigan ranks #2719 among US girl names in 2025, with 63 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Morrigan?
- About 1 in every 25,512 US girls born in 2025 was named Morrigan — 63 in all.
- Will my child share the name Morrigan with classmates?
- Morrigan will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Morrigan
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Ryver#2719 · Emy#2719 · Kaliana#2719 · Asher#2719 · Aditi#2719 · Carley#2719 · Betsy#2719 · Wynonna#2719
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Morrigan? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Morrigan and another name?
See them side by side — full stats, history and a gentle verdict.
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Your gut first, the numbers after — the split shows once you pick.
US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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