Reagan

How to say it

/ˈreɪ.ɡən/

What it means

Anglicized Irish surname Ó Riagáin, 'descendant of Riagán.' The personal name Riagán probably from rí ('king') with a diminutive — so 'little king.' Ronald Reagan and Shakespeare's King Lear's Regan are the two cultural anchors.

Reagan is the anglicization of the Irish surname Ó Riagáin, 'descendant of Riagán.' The Old Irish personal name Riagán likely derives from rí ('king') with a diminutive suffix, giving 'little king' or 'impulsive one.' Two very different cultural anchors: Shakespeare's King Lear has a villainous daughter Regan (Lear's middle daughter who betrays him), and US President Ronald Reagan (in office 1981-1989) gave the surname conservative political weight. The first-name usage in the US accelerated unisex-then-feminine in the 2000s. The Exorcist's possessed girl Regan MacNeil is the horror-genre anchor (Reagan and Regan are often used interchangeably). It's been in the US top 200 since 2008.

Heads-up notes

• Spelling

  Reagan, Regan, Raegan, and Reagen all circulate. The Reagan spelling shares the US president's surname; the Regan spelling is the Shakespeare and Exorcist form.

• Pop culture

  Ronald Reagan, King Lear's Regan, and The Exorcist's Regan MacNeil each carry weight in different directions.

Who's worn it

Historical figures, characters, and public faces who share the name. The cultural surface, for whatever weight you want to give it.

• Ronald Reagan 40th US president, 1981-1989, the Reagan Doctrine (Reagan as surname)
• Regan (King Lear) Lear's middle daughter in Shakespeare's tragedy

Spelling variants

• Regan
• Reagen
• Raegan

Names with the same feeling

• Kennedy Helmeted head
• Harper Harp player
• Addison Son of Adam
• Riley Courageous, valiant
• Quinn Descendant of Conn

See Reagan from another angle