Fun Facts About the Name Egan
- More than 1 thousand babies named Egan: U.S. records list 1,267 babies given the name Egan from 1880 through 2025. Even 49 girls received the name Egan - about 1 girl for every 25 boys.
What Does the Name Egan Mean?
Egan is an Irish name meaning "little fire," and it comes from the Gaelic personal name Aodhagán, a diminutive of Aodh (Old Irish áed), which means "fire." The surname behind it is usually traced to Mac Aodhagáin, "son of Aodhagán." A related Gaelic form, Ó hAodhagáin, "descendant of Aodhagán," shares the same root. So the literal sense is "son or descendant of Aodhagán," and the root meaning that is customarily given for the name is simply "little fire." The "fire" element refers to the old Irish word for fire and to the personal name built on it, not to a symbolic trait assigned to its bearers.
Egan Name History & Origins
The name comes from a family of hereditary scholars in medieval Ireland. The Mac Aodhagáin were ollaves - learned poets, historians, and brehons, or judges of Irish law - associated with the territory of Ely O'Carroll, in what is now County Offaly, and later with parts of Connacht and County Tipperary. Their professional role as keepers of poetry, genealogy, and law made the surname prominent, and it was anglicized in a range of spellings.
As English displaced Irish in legal and official records, the patronymic prefix Mac was often dropped, leaving the shortened surname Egan alongside MacEgan. The element Aodh appears in many Irish names and is sometimes rendered in English as Hugh, but Egan reflects the diminutive Aodhagán rather than the plain form. The closely related surname Keegan grew from the same root but followed its own anglicizing path.
Irish emigration carried Egan to Britain, North America, and Australia, and in English-speaking countries it also came into use as a first name. Its use as a given name is a later development, separate from its long history as an Irish surname.
How Popular is the Name Egan?
Egan has historically been an exceptionally rare given name in the United States, remaining well outside the national mainstream. It saw its highest recorded annual births in 2019. Its best rank was #2,368 in 2003.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | #16,188 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1989 | #8,980 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1988 | #10,741 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1987 | #9,051 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1986 | #8,801 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1985 | #7,117 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1984 | #8,413 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #4,068 | 26 | 0.0015% |
| 2024 | #3,998 | 27 | 0.0016% |
| 2023 | #3,915 | 28 | 0.0016% |
| 2022 | #4,016 | 27 | 0.0015% |
| 2021 | #3,839 | 28 | 0.0016% |
| 2020 | #3,595 | 30 | 0.0017% |
| 2019 | #2,632 | 49 | 0.0027% |
| 2018 | #3,393 | 33 | 0.0018% |
| 2017 | #3,333 | 34 | 0.0018% |
| 2016 | #4,507 | 22 | 0.0012% |
| 2015 | #3,716 | 29 | 0.0015% |
| 2014 | #3,824 | 27 | 0.0014% |
| 2013 | #3,145 | 35 | 0.0019% |
| 2012 | #3,638 | 29 | 0.0015% |
| 2011 | #3,069 | 37 | 0.0019% |
| 2010 | #3,557 | 30 | 0.0016% |
| 2009 | #2,914 | 41 | 0.0021% |
| 2008 | #2,964 | 40 | 0.0020% |
| 2007 | #2,574 | 48 | 0.0023% |
| 2006 | #2,798 | 41 | 0.0020% |
| 2005 | #2,406 | 48 | 0.0024% |
| 2004 | #2,963 | 34 | 0.0017% |
| 2003 | #2,368 | 45 | 0.0023% |
| 2002 | #2,477 | 40 | 0.0021% |
| 2001 | #2,635 | 36 | 0.0019% |
| 2000 | #3,339 | 25 | 0.0013% |
| 1999 | #3,881 | 19 | 0.0010% |
| 1998 | #3,220 | 24 | 0.0013% |
| 1997 | #3,381 | 21 | 0.0011% |
| 1996 | #6,141 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1995 | #4,883 | 12 | 0.0006% |
| 1994 | #4,373 | 14 | 0.0007% |
| 1993 | #4,796 | 12 | 0.0006% |
| 1992 | #3,979 | 15 | 0.0008% |
| 1991 | #3,867 | 15 | 0.0007% |
| 1990 | #3,836 | 15 | 0.0007% |
| 1989 | #4,925 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 1988 | #5,341 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1987 | #5,100 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1986 | #4,994 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1985 | #4,136 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 1984 | #6,609 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1983 | #5,686 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1982 | #5,861 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1981 | #5,700 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1980 | #3,308 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 1979 | #2,809 | 16 | 0.0009% |
| 1977 | #4,741 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1975 | #4,990 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 1974 | #4,802 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 1973 | #3,280 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 1972 | #4,596 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 1971 | #4,095 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1970 | #3,965 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1968 | #3,829 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1964 | #3,738 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1959 | #4,160 | 5 | 0.0002% |
| 1924 | #4,527 | 5 | 0.0004% |
| 1915 | #3,518 | 6 | 0.0007% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
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How the Name Egan Shapes Your Personality and Life?
You are fine when in harmony but changeable when in discord, because many of your best qualities are then reversed. You are entertaining but may be impulsive. Freedom is a necessity, and you find it difficult to settle down. Your versatility results in many changes, and often brings travel. Your fine intellect is capable of high honors if applied seriously. You are capable of inspired thinking applied to material things. You can be restless, changeable, and very sexy. You have an eventful, exciting life. You are versatile and have the ability to learn easily.
You desire to inspire and lead, to control other's affairs. You are giving, courageous and bold, action oriented,energetic and strong willed. You want to make a difference in the world, and this attitude often attracts you to cultural interests, politics, social issues, and the cultivation of your creative talents.
✦ Egan's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Egan's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.