Morgan History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms 

Origins Available: 
  Wales 
  Ireland 
  Scotland 


The Morgan name is Celtic in origin, arising from the ancient Britons of Wales. It comes from the Old Welsh personal name Morcant, composed of the Welsh elements "mor," meaning "sea," and cant meaning "circle."

Early Origins of the Morgan family

The surname Morgan was first found in Caernarvonshire (Welsh: Sir Gaernarfon), a former county in Northwest Wales, anciently part of the Kingdom of Gwynedd, and today divided between the unitary authorities of Gwynedd and Conwy. The surname is derived from the "Welsh personal name of high antiquity. The founder of the Pelagain heresy, in the fourth century, was a true Welshman and a monk of Bangor. His name was Morgan, which signifies 'Of the Sea' and this was correctly Latinized Pelagius. The Morgans of Golden Grove, co. Flint, descend from Marchudd ap Cynan, founder of the eighth noble tribe of North Wales and Powys. " 1

Early History of the Morgan family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Morgan research. Another 160 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1560, 1589, 1600, 1604, 1608, 1624, 1625, 1635, 1641, 1653, 1654, 1664, 1673, 1679, 1680, 1682, 1688, 1689, 1690, 1697, 1698, 1700, 1705, 1715, 1724, 1749, 1751, 1753, 1760, 1761, 1770, 1774, 1790 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Morgan History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Morgan Spelling Variations

There are relatively few surnames native to Wales, but they have an inordinately large number of spelling variations. Early variations of Welsh surnames can be explained by the fact that very few people in the early Middle Ages were literate. Priests and the few other literate people were responsible for recording names in official documents. And because most people could not specific how to properly record their names it was up to the individual recorder of that time to determine how a spoken name should be recorded. Variations due to the imprecise or improper recording of a name continued later in history when names originally composed in the Brythonic Celtic, language of Wales, known by natives as Cymraeg, were transliterated into English. Welsh names that were documented in English often changed dramatically since the native language of Wales, which was highly inflected, did not copy well. Occasionally, however, spelling variations were carried out according to an individual's specific design: a branch loyalty within the family, a religious adherence, or even patriotic affiliations could be indicated by minor variations. The spelling variations of the name Morgan have included Morgan, Morgen, Morgain, Morgaine and others.

Early Notables of the Morgan family

Prominent amongst the family during the late Middle Ages was

Morgan World Ranking

In the United States, the name Morgan is the 57th most popular surname with an estimated 293,466 people with that name. 2 However, in Canada, the name Morgan is ranked the 173rd most popular surname with an estimated 20,582 people with that name. 3 And in Newfoundland, Canada, the name Morgan is the 44th popular surname with an estimated 514 people with that name. 4 Australia ranks Morgan as 68th with 33,813 people. 5 New Zealand ranks Morgan as 30th with 5,745 people. 6 The United Kingdom ranks Morgan as 38th with 92,647 people. 7 South Africa ranks Morgan as 782nd with 8,831 people. 8

Migration of the Morgan family to Ireland

Some of the Morgan family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 72 words (5 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


Morgan migration to the United States +

Many Welsh families joined their Scottish and Irish neighbors during the late 1800s and early 1900s in seeking refuge in North America. Like the Irish and Scottish, many Welsh anxiously awaited the work, freedom, and opportunities that they believed lay in North America. Those who did journey over to the United States and what became known as Canada often realized those dreams, but only through much toil and perseverance. Whenever and however these Welsh immigrants arrived in North America, they were instrumental in the creation of the industry, commerce, and cultural heritage within those two developing nations. In the immigration and passenger lists a number of early immigrants bearing the name Morgan were found:

Morgan Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
Morgan Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
Morgan Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Morgan migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Morgan Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
Morgan Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Morgan migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Morgan Settlers in Australia in the 18th Century
Morgan Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Morgan migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Morgan Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Morgan migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 16
Morgan Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

Contemporary Notables of the name Morgan (post 1700) +


Suggested Readings for the name Morgan +
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