Ragen
Feminine
Ragen is overwhelmingly a girls’ name — 583 girls against 15 boys since 1880.
Ragen is a spelling of the Reagan and Regan sound, given almost entirely to girls. By coincidence it is also a German verb meaning to tower up, the root inside the German word for outstanding.
How old is the name Ragen?
Ragen first appears in US birth records in 1974 — 51 years ago. The typical Ragen alive today was born around 1999, making them about 26 years old. About 600 people named Ragen are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Ragen most popular?
Ragen peaked in 1974, reaching #3313 nationally. See the whole 1974 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
Origin, sound and short forms
Our story of Ragen
In German, ragen means to rise up, to jut out or tower, as a mountain rises over a valley, and hervorragend, 'jutting forward', is the everyday word for outstanding or excellent. Ragen, the American name, came from Reagan and Regan with a plainer spelling. But its letters happen to spell something that stands out.
Meaningnot established
Not established
Ragen may be Reagan or Regan respelled, and nothing records which. The German verb is a coincidence.
Pronouncing Ragen
RAY-gun
Two syllables with the stress on the first; some say REE-gun.
Nicknames for Ragen
Limited
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1974
- Most girls named
- 200727 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #3313reached in 1974
- Change vs 2020
- −25.0%6 in 2021, from 8
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Ragens among us
people named Ragen are estimated to be alive in the US today
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
Questions parents actually ask
Fashion outlook
Ragen sits outside the current charts, and that is its own kind of answer: naming cycles can only date the names they carried up. A name this rare has no decade stamped on it — it cannot go out of fashion, because it was never in.
Based on 146 years of naming cycles. How we read them
The trade-off
- Close to familiar names.
- Short and easy to say.
- Distinct on paper.
- People will write Reagan or Regan.
- The pronunciation varies.
- The spelling is recorded for a few boys, but nearly every Ragen is a girl.
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Ragen
Feminine
Frequently asked
- How many Ragens are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 600 people named Ragen are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Ragen in 2025?
- Ragen is rarely given in the US today — it does not rank in the top 2000 girl names.
- Will my child share the name Ragen with classmates?
- Ragen will almost certainly be the only one in school.
More R names
The most-given names starting with R, all years combined.
Ruth#173 · Rebecca#349 · Rachel#250 · Rose#114 · Ruby#64 · Robin#704 · Rita#1285 · Rhonda#6116
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Ragen? See the current top 100.
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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