Clan RisingFamilies

Morgan

The name that named a kingdom — Morgannwg's enduring patronym.

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Territory of Morgan

CoreHistoric reach

The seat of Morgan

Seat vacant

Chief

No chief yet. The seat awaits its first claimant — be the first to stake your name to Morgan.

Current mission

No mission proclaimed. The chief, once seated, sets the clan’s public focus — a campaign, a contest, a piece of restoration, a year of remembrance.

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What does the Morgan name mean?

From an Old Welsh personal name — Morcant in Old Welsh, perhaps from 'môr' (sea) + 'cant' (circle, host), or 'great and bright' in another reading. It was the name of an early king of Glamorgan whose realm — Morgannwg — took his name in turn. The surname Morgan is the personal name carried hereditarily without an 'ap' prefix.

The history of Morgan

Morgan is the great Glamorgan surname, anchored in the historic kingdom of Morgannwg whose name it shares. Density is highest across the south-east — the Vale of Glamorgan, the industrial valleys, and Gwent.

Sir Henry Morgan (c.1635–1688) of Llanrhymny in Glamorgan was the most successful privateer of the Caribbean Spanish wars — sacker of Portobelo, Maracaibo and Panama City — knighted by Charles II in 1674 and made Lieutenant Governor of Jamaica thereafter. The rum bears his face but the man was a planter and a magistrate by the end.

William Morgan (c.1545–1604), Bishop of Llandaff and then St Asaph, completed the first translation of the entire Bible into Welsh in 1588 — the foundational text of modern Welsh literacy and the principal reason the Welsh language survived as a living vernacular when the languages around it (Cornish, Manx) did not.

Notable bearers of the Morgan name

  • Sir Henry Morgan (c.1635–1688) — privateer, Lieutenant Governor of Jamaica
  • William Morgan (c.1545–1604) — Bishop, translator of the Welsh Bible (1588)
  • J. P. Morgan (1837–1913) — American financier of distant Welsh-Glamorgan ancestry

Stories of Morgan

Frequently asked

What does the surname Morgan mean?

From an Old Welsh personal name — Morcant in Old Welsh, perhaps from 'môr' (sea) + 'cant' (circle, host), or 'great and bright' in another reading. It was the name of an early king of Glamorgan whose realm — Morgannwg — took his name in turn. The surname Morgan is the personal name carried hereditarily without an 'ap' prefix.

Where does the Morgan family come from?

The Morgan family was historically based in Morgannwg in Wales, in particular The Valleys and Bro Morgannwg.

Who are some famous Morgans?

Notable bearers of the Morgan name include Sir Henry Morgan (c.1635–1688) — privateer, Lieutenant Governor of Jamaica, William Morgan (c.1545–1604) — Bishop, translator of the Welsh Bible (1588) and J. P. Morgan (1837–1913) — American financier of distant Welsh-Glamorgan ancestry.

Neighbouring clans