Given name & surname · also Welsh
Tegan
“one who is attractive; goodlooking”·“a handsome man”·“poet, philosopher”
Tegan is a variant of Teagan. Interpretations include “one who is attractive; goodlooking” and “a handsome man”. These may reflect different naming traditions. In English use, Tegan is a diminutive of Tadhg. One interpretation is “poet, philosopher.”
Original IrishTadhg
Meaning & origin
What it means
Tegan is a variant of Teagan. Interpretations include “one who is attractive; goodlooking” and “a handsome man”. These may reflect different naming traditions. In English use, Tegan is a diminutive of Tadhg. One interpretation is “poet, philosopher.” Tegan is a variant of Teague. One interpretation is “a wise poet.”
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
Tegan comes from Welsh, and ultimately from Irish.
Adapted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
How it developed
In English usage, Tegan is a diminutive of Tadhg. In English usage, Tegan developed from Tadhg.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1957. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Tegan through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 9,363
- 2,574 boys · 6,789 girls
- Most popular year
- 2011
- 446 babies
- 2025
- 127
- #2,297 for girls · #2,751 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −46%
- Cooling
Boys, girls and both
The balance of boys and girls given this name has shifted over time. Recent births are 28% boys.
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 80 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 2,297 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 52.2% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for girls was 350 in 2011. It also appeared in 47 birth records for boys in 2025. In 2025, California, Indiana, North Carolina and 2 other areas shared the largest reported state-level birth count for girls with this name (5 each). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 7,995 as a first name in 2020; 176 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Tegan’s family of names
In English usage, Tegan is a diminutive of Tadhg. Tegan has a related form in Teagan. Tegan has a related form in Teague.
The ring: nicknames and forms.
Nicknames & forms 5
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
People named Tegan
- Tegan MossCanadian actressborn 1985
- Sleepy HallowJamaican-American rapper (born 1999)
- Tegan MartinAustralian modelborn 1992
Characters named Tegan: Tegan Jovanka (Doctor Who companion).
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Appears in
Similar names
If you love Tegan, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
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