What does the name Morgan mean?

Answer 1

Bright, shining sea (Old English and/or Welsh) : The Welsh given name Morgan derives from a hypothetical Common Celtic *Moricantos, with the first element probably meaning "sea" but the second element uncertain. It appears in Old Welsh as Morcant (pronounced "mo:r-GANT"), in Early Medieval Welsh as Morgant (pronounced "MO:R-gan" -- the "t" is most likely silent by this time), and in later Medieval Welsh as Morgan, the same form it has in Modern Welsh. At various times, the origin and meaning of the name has been popularly misinterpreted. During the Puritan period it was misunderstood as meaning "sea-born" the same meaning as the name Morien, and it was used to translate the name Pelagius in the Book of Common Prayer. In pre-modern records, the name Morgan is always masculine. It had a modest popularity in medieval Wales, neither one of the favorite names nor particularly rare. In the 20th century, the name is commonly used in the USA by women as well as men. Modern Welsh name books still consider the name exclusively masculine. This name was in ordinary use prior to 1600, but only as a man's name. --- Morgan means "morning" in German and is the name of a breed of horse. ---