Variant of Teagan, an Irish name meaning 'little poet' or derived from 'tadhg' meaning 'poet' or 'philosopher.'
Teighan is a variant spelling of Teagan (also Tegan), a name with parallel roots in both Welsh and Irish Celtic traditions. In Welsh, Tegan means 'darling,' 'beloved,' or 'little treasure' — a diminutive of teg, meaning 'fair' or 'beautiful.' It has been a recognized Welsh given name for centuries, appearing in Welsh literature and maintaining quiet continuity in Wales through eras when many Celtic names fell out of use.
In Irish the name connects to the Gaelic Tadhg (pronounced roughly 'tige'), meaning 'poet' or 'philosopher,' a name so common in medieval Ireland that Tadhg became almost a generic word for an Irishman in English slang — yet in its feminine elaborated form it shed that quality entirely and became distinctly lyrical. The name gained wider Anglophone popularity from the 1990s onward, particularly in the United States, Canada, Australia, and Ireland, as Celtic heritage names experienced a broad revival. Teagan became a Top 100 name in the US in the 2010s, and variant spellings like Teighan, Teegan, and Tegan emerged as parents sought to personalize a rising name.
The Teighan spelling in particular emphasizes the distinctly Irish-tinged phonetic — the -igh- digraph echoing the orthographic conventions of Irish Gaelic, lending the name a visual identity that signals its Celtic heritage. Literary and cultural associations include the Welsh saint Tegan, a companion of the legendary Arthur in some Welsh texts, and the minor Doctor Who character Tegan Jovanka, an Australian companion whose sharp intelligence helped reintroduce the Welsh name to popular awareness. Teighan today reads as spirited, rooted in genuine Celtic tradition, and just distinctive enough to stand apart from the more common Teagan.