Reagan
Masculine · “little king”
Reagan is given to both — 7,841 boys and 65,739 girls since 1880. See Reagan as a girl nameSee other names given to both
Reagan is Ó Riagáin anglicized, and the Irish riagán may mean impulsive or little king — a descendant of the man who fought beside Brian Boru at Clontarf.
How old is the name Reagan?
Reagan first appears in US birth records in 1913 — 112 years ago. The typical Reagan alive today was born around 2006, making them about 19 years old. About 7,400 people named Reagan are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Reagan most popular?
Reagan peaked in 2004, reaching #596 nationally. Today it ranks #1677, 1,081 places below that high. See the whole 2004 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
From riagán to Reagan
The story of Reagan
The Ó Riagáin were a Meath and Laois family who claimed descent from a nephew of Brian Boru. Irish emigration carried the surname to America, where Ronald Reagan's presidency from 1981 made it universally known. It entered given-name use for both sexes; masculine Reagan appears in the registers and is in current use.
Meaningscholars disagree
little king; impulsive
From the Irish Ó Riagáin, built on riagán, generally read as a diminutive of rí, 'king', or from a root meaning 'impulsive'. Neither reading is settled. The family claimed descent from Riagán, a nephew of Brian Boru who fought at Clontarf in 1014.
How the name formed
- riagán
- Ó Riagáin
- Reagan
Related forms: Ó Riagáin · Regan · Raegan
Pronouncing Reagan
RAY-gun
Two syllables, stress on the first. Some bearers say REE-gun, which is the older Irish anglicization.
Nicknames for Reagan
Moderate
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
- 1913
- Most boys named
- 2004366 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #596reached in 2004
- Change vs 2023
- −14.8%98 in 2025, from 115
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.
Reagan in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Ó Riagáin in Irish — related form
- Regan in English — spelling variant
- Raegan in English — spelling variant
Strongest US states over the last decade: Texas, California, Florida.
Reagans among us
people named Reagan are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 boy in 17,429 born in 2025 was named Reagan
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
What happens to a name after it peaks
The Cale test
Every popular name lives one long story — a climb, a peak, a slow settling back. Reagan's later chapters haven't been written yet, so we borrowed them: Cale climbed just as high around 1984, and its whole arc is on record. Line the two peaks up, and Cale's path sketches the road Reagan is walking now.
Reagan sits in the calm middle of the cycle — neither chasing a wave nor sliding off one. Middle-of-the-cycle names age slowly and predictably.
A scored estimate from 146 years of naming cycles — not a prophecy. Great names outlive statistics. How this is scored
Where Reagan is headed
Reagan is easing off slowly — about 20% fewer babies a year by 2030 if the trend continues.
Medium confidence — fitted on official counts through 2025.
A damped-trend projection of the official birth data — a sketch of momentum, not a promise. Every name's forecast, ranked.
Reagan beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Reagan in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US boys given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- A documented Irish family with a claimed link to Clontarf stands behind it.
- The little-king reading is strong where it holds.
- Rae is available as a short form with its own record.
- The presidential association is total and politically specific.
- In America the name now reads as more feminine than masculine.
- The first vowel splits between two readings.
Nobody names a baby alone.
Put Reagan to the vote.
Add it to a family vote or a couple’s swipe deck — the other person gets one card, a simple answer and room to say why. No app, no account for them.
Only the people you invite can see your list.
Already decided on Reagan? Hide it among decoys and let them guess.
What they receive
Someone added a name to your list
Reagan
Masculine · #1677 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Reagans are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 7,400 people named Reagan are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Reagan in 2025?
- Reagan ranks #1677 among US boy names in 2025, with 98 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Reagan?
- About 1 in every 17,429 US boys born in 2025 was named Reagan — 98 in all.
- Will my child share the name Reagan with classmates?
- Reagan will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Reagan
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Ellison#1677 · Kyce#1677 · Mayson#1677 · Conan#1677 · Issa#1677 · Gibson#1677 · Kyng#1677 · Lando#1677
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Reagan? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Reagan and another name?
See them side by side — full stats, history and a gentle verdict.
Compare side by sideIn a hurry? Just pick a winner — one tap, no sign-up, and you see how everyone else voted.
Weighing a whole shortlist? Add the rest in the builder, or settle it with a bracket.
Cast your vote
Which one would you pick?
Your gut first, the numbers after — the split shows once you pick.
US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
No advertising trackers and no data sellinghow we handle your dataindependent and founder-run, about Name Battle