The family name Regan, along with its cognates O'Regan, O Regan, Reagan, and O'Reagan, is an
Anglicized
Anglicisation is the process by which a place or person becomes influenced by English culture or British culture, or a process of cultural and/or linguistic change in which something non-English becomes English. It can also refer to the influenc ...
form of the
Irish
Irish may refer to:
Common meanings
* Someone or something of, from, or related to:
** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe
***Éire, Irish language name for the isle
** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...
surname Ó Riagáin or Ó Ríogáin, from
Ua Riagáin. The meaning is likely to have originated in ancient
Gaelic ''ri'' "sovereign, king" and the
diminutive suffix ''-in''; thus "the king's child" or "big king". The name was borne by two distinct families: one seated in
Meath, the other in
Thomond
Thomond (Classical Irish: ; Modern Irish: ), also known as the kingdom of Limerick, was a kingdom of Gaelic Ireland, associated geographically with present-day County Clare and County Limerick, as well as parts of County Tipperary around Nena ...
.
The O'Regans of Meath were a branch of the southern
Ui Neill and one of the
four Tribes of Tara. Before the
Anglo-Norman invasion, they were lords of south
Breagh and the north of present-day
County Dublin
"Action to match our speech"
, image_map = Island_of_Ireland_location_map_Dublin.svg
, map_alt = map showing County Dublin as a small area of darker green on the east coast within the lighter green background of ...
. They took a leading part in the wars against the
Danes. In the year 1029,
Mathghamhain Ó Riagáin, king of Breagh, captured the king of Dublin,
Amhlaoibh
Aulay is a Scottish masculine given name. It is an Anglicisation of the Scottish Gaelic ''Amhladh'', ''Amhlaidh'', ''Amhlaigh'', and ''Amhlaibh''. The standard Irish Gaelic form of these names is ''Amhlaoibh'' (pronounced "ow-liv", and "owl-lee"); ...
son of
Sitric, releasing him only upon payment of an enormous ransom, which included the celebrated
Sword of Carlus. The O'Regans were dispossessed soon after the invasion and dispersed through Ireland.
The O'Regans of Thomond are a
Dalcassian family said to be descended from
Riagán, son of
Donncuan, brother of
Brian Boru
Brian Boru ( mga, Brian Bóruma mac Cennétig; modern ga, Brian Bóramha; 23 April 1014) was an Irish king who ended the domination of the High Kingship of Ireland by the Uí Néill and probably ended Viking invasion/domination of Ireland. Br ...
, and now numerous throughout Ireland.
The unisex forename Regan is likely to have derived sometime later from the
Latin
Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...
''
Regina'' "queen", the feminine form of ''Rex'' (stem ''reg-'') "king", which is also the source of the name ''Reginald''.
[
]
Persons with the surname
* Bill Regan (disambiguation)
* Bob Regan
Robert Joseph Regan is a Grammy nominated American country music songwriter. His chart credits include "Til Love Comes Again" by Reba McEntire, " Busy Man" by Billy Ray Cyrus, " Your Everything" by Keith Urban, "Soon" by Tanya Tucker, " Think ...
(born 1947), American country music songwriter
* Brian Regan (disambiguation), several people
* Bridget Regan
Bridget Catherine Regan (born February 3, 1982) is an American actress known for portrayals such as Kahlan Amnell in the television series '' Legend of the Seeker'', Rebecca Lowe / Rachel Turner in '' White Collar'', Rose Solano in '' Jane th ...
(born 1982), American actress
* Charles Tate Regan
Charles Tate Regan FRS (1 February 1878 – 12 January 1943) was a British ichthyologist, working mainly around the beginning of the 20th century. He did extensive work on fish classification schemes.
Born in Sherborne, Dorset, he was educat ...
(1878–1943), British ichthyologist
* Daithí Regan (born 1968), Irish hurler
* David M. Regan (born 1935), Canadian psychologist
* Donald Regan
Donald Thomas Regan (December 21, 1918 – June 10, 2003) was the 66th United States Secretary of the Treasury from 1981 to 1985 and the White House Chief of Staff from 1985 to 1987 under Ronald Reagan. In the Reagan administration, he advocat ...
(1918–2003), U.S. Treasury Secretary and Chief of Staff to President Ronald Reagan
* Edward Regan
Edward Van Buren Regan (May 14, 1930 – October 18, 2014) was an American politician and public figure from New York State. He was a member of the Republican Party.
Regan's political career began on the Buffalo Common Council. He rose to pr ...
(1930–2014), American politician and government bureaucrat
* Eugene Regan (born 1952), Irish barrister and politician
* Fionn Regan
Fionn Regan (born 1981) is an Irish folk musician and singer-songwriter. Born and raised in Bray, Regan came to prominence with the release of his debut studio album, '' The End of History'' in 2006. He had been releasing extended plays for six ...
(born 1981), Irish folk musician
* Frank S. Regan (1862–1944), American politician and businessman
* Geoff Regan
Geoffrey Paul Regan (born 22 November 1959) is a former Canadian politician who served as the 36th Speaker of the House of Commons of Canada from 2015 to 2019. A member of the Liberal Party of Canada, he was the Member of Parliament (MP) for ...
(born 1959), Canadian politician and federal cabinet minister, son of Gerald Regan
* Gerald Regan
Gerald Augustine Paul Regan (February 13, 1928 – November 26, 2019) was a Canadian politician (as Member of Parliament (Canada), federal MP and later as Nova Scotia House of Assembly, Nova Scotia MLA), who served as the 19th premier of Nova Sc ...
(1928–2019), 19th premier of Nova Scotia, father of Geoff, Laura and Nancy Regan
* Jack Regan
John Vincent Regan (12 September 1912 – 11 August 1988) was an Australian rules footballer who represented Collingwood in the Victorian Football League (VFL) during the 1930s and 1940s.
Playing career
Recruited from Northcote, Regan str ...
(1912–1988), Australian rules footballer
* James Regan (disambiguation)
* Jayne Regan
Bobbie Stoffregen (July 28, 1909 – March 19, 2000), known professionally as Jayne Regan, was an American film actress. Her original name was sometimes seen as Bobby Stoffregen.
Regan was the daughter of Herman C. and Anna Stoffregen. From ag ...
(1909–2000), American actress
* Jessica Regan
Jessica Regan (born 24 February 1982) is an Irish actress, known for portraying the role of Niamh Donoghue in the BBC soap opera '' Doctors''. For her portrayal of the role, she won the award for Best Female Acting Performance at the 2014 RTS M ...
(born 1982), Irish actress
* Joan Regan
Joan Regan (born Joan Bethel or Siobhan Bethel; 19 January 1928 – 12 September 2013) was an English traditional pop music singer, popular during the 1950s and early 1960s.
Biography
Regan was born in either Romford, Essex, or West Ham, London ...
(1928–2013), English singer
* John Regan (disambiguation)
* Judith Regan
Judith Regan (born August 17, 1953, in Massachusetts) is an American editor, producer, book publisher, and television and radio talk show host. She is the head of Regan Arts.
Early life and education
Regan grew up in Fitchburg, Massachusetts and B ...
(born 1953), book publisher
* Julianne Regan
Julie-Ann "Julianne" Regan (born 30 June 1962) is an English-Irish singer, songwriter, and musician. She achieved success in the late 1980s and early 1990s as the lead singer of the band All About Eve. AllMusic describes Regan as "certainly on ...
(born 1962), English singer, songwriter and musician, lead singer of the band All About Eve
* Kelly Regan
Kelly Maureen Regan (née Smith) MLA (born 4 February 1961) is a Canadian politician who has served in the Nova Scotia House of Assembly since 2009, most recently as the MLA for Bedford Basin. She was first elected as the Member for Bedford-Bi ...
(born 1961), Canadian politician, wife of Geoff Regan
* Kenneth M. Regan (1891–1959), American politician
* Larry Regan
Lawrence Emmett Regan (August 9, 1930 – March 9, 2009), was a Canadian professional ice hockey player and hockey executive. He played for the Boston Bruins and Toronto Maple Leafs after a long senior-hockey career, winning the Allan Cup in 1948. ...
(1930–2009), Canadian National Hockey League player, coach, manager and executive
* Laura Regan (born 1977), Canadian actress, daughter of Gerald Regan
* Linda Regan
Linda Regan (born 5 November 1949),
(born 1949), English actress who appeared in the British TV show ''Hi-de-Hi!''
* Mark Regan
Mark Regan MBE (born 28 January 1972 in Bristol) is an English former rugby union player. Nicknamed 'Ronnie', he played as a hooker for Bristol, Bath, Leeds Tykes as well as England and the British and Irish Lions.
Career
Regan's England br ...
(born 1972), English rugby union player
* Mike Regan (disambiguation)
* Nancy Regan
Nancy Margaret Regan (born March 20, 1966) is a Canadian actress, journalist, news anchor, and television personality, most known for her fifteen-year tenure as host of CTV's Live at 5, a live news and general interest television program reachi ...
(born 1966), Canadian news anchor, journalist and TV personality, daughter of Gerald Regan
* Patrick Regan (disambiguation)
* Phil Regan (actor)
Philip Joseph Christopher Aloysius Regan (May 28, 1906 – February 11, 1996) was an American actor and singer who later served time for bribery in a real estate scandal.
Early years
Born in Brooklyn on May 28, 1908, Regan was the oldest of fi ...
(1906–1996)
* Phil Regan (baseball)
Philip Ramond Regan (born April 6, 1937) is an American former professional baseball pitcher, scout, and manager, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Detroit Tigers, Los Angeles Dodgers, Chicago Cubs, and Chicago White Sox; he also ...
(born 1937), American Major League Baseball pitcher
* Robert P. Regan (1936–1995), American businessman and politician
*Seamus O'Regan
Seamus Thomas Harris O'Regan (born January 18, 1971) is a Canadians, Canadian politician who served as the Minister of Natural Resources from 2019 to 2021. A member of the Liberal Party of Canada, Liberal Party, O'Regan has represented St. Joh ...
(born 1971), Canadian politician and former television personality
* Terry Regan (born 1958), Australian former rugby league footballer
* Tim O'Regan, American musician
* Tom Regan
Tom Regan (; November 28, 1938 – February 17, 2017) was an American philosopher who specialized in animal rights theory. He was professor emeritus of philosophy at North Carolina State University, where he had taught from 1967 until his reti ...
(1938–2017), American philosopher, animal rights activist and academic
* Tony Óg Regan (born 1983), Irish hurler
* Trish Regan (born 1972), American broadcast journalist and author
* Vincent Regan
Vincent Regan (born 16 May 1965) is a British film and television actor, best known for his roles in ''300'', ''Troy'', '' Unleashed'', '' Clash of the Titans'' and '' Lockout''.
Early life
Regan was born on 16 May 1965 in Swansea, Glamorgan, ...
(born 1965), British actor
Persons with the given name
* Regan Hagar
Regan Hagar is an American musician. Primarily a drummer, he also plays keyboard and guitar on occasion.
He was the drummer in Malfunkshun from 1980 to 1988, featuring Andrew Wood of Mother Love Bone on vocals and Kevin Wood on guitar. He had p ...
, American rock drummer
* Regan Harrison
Regan Dean Harrison (born 25 November 1977) is an Australian former breaststroke swimmer of the 1990s and 2000s, who won the silver medal at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney as part of the 4×100-metre medley relay team. He was educated at t ...
(born 1977), Australian retired swimmer
* Regan Hartley (born 1990), Miss New Hampshire for 2011
* Regan King
Regan Matthew King (born 2 October 1980) is a New Zealand rugby union player who plays as a centre. He currently plays for Mid Canterbury in the Heartland Championship and Neath RFC in the Welsh Premier Division. He holds a British passport t ...
(born 1980), New Zealand rugby union footballer
* Regan Lamble
Regan Danae Lamble (born 14 October 1991) is an Australian athlete. She was selected to represent Australia at the 2012 Summer Olympics and the 2016 Summer Olympics in the 20 km Road Walk race.
Personal
Lamble was born on 14 October 1 ...
(born 1991), Australian racewalker
* Regan Lauscher (born 1980), Canadian luger
* Regan Mizrahi
Regan Mizrahi is an American former child actor from New Jersey, known for his role as the voice of Boots the Monkey in the television series ''Dora the Explorer''. He began working professionally at the age of three and has appeared in numero ...
(born 2000), American child actor
* Regan Poole (born 1998), Welsh footballer
* Regan Russell (1955–2020), Canadian animal rights activist
* Regan Smith (born 1983), American stock car racing driver
* Regan Upshaw
Regan Charles Upshaw (born August 12, 1975) is a former American football defensive tackle who played in the National Football League (NFL) between 1996 and 2004. He was selected by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the first round of the 1996 NFL ...
(born 1975), American retired National Football League player *_Regan_Bunnell_(born_in_2009),_Canada_Ontario_news_in_2020
_Fictional_characters
*_Regan_(King_Lear).html" ;"title="Regan_Bunnell.html" ;"title="* Regan Bunnell">* Regan Bunnell (born in 2009), Canada Ontario news in 2020
Fictional characters
* Regan (King Lear)">Regan_Bunnell.html" ;"title="* Regan Bunnell">* Regan Bunnell (born in 2009), Canada Ontario news in 2020
Fictional characters
* Regan (King Lear), a daughter of King Lear in Shakespeare's play ''King Lear''
* Regan MacNeil, the central character of the novel ''The Exorcist''
* Regan O'Neill, the narrator and viewpoint character of the novel ''Luna (Peters novel), Luna'' by Julie Anne Peters
* Regan Wyngarde, also known as Lady Mastermind, a Marvel Comics villain
* Jack Regan (The Sweeney), protagonist of the British television police drama '' The Sweeney''
* Regan Hamleigh, character in ''The Pillars of the Earth
''The Pillars of the Earth'' is a historical novel by British author Ken Follett published in 1989 about the building of a cathedral in the fictional town of Kingsbridge, England. Set in the 12th century, the novel covers the time between the ...
'' novel and miniseries
* Rory Regan in the DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. (doing business as DC) is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery.
DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book companies, with thei ...
Universe
The universe is all of space and time and their contents, including planets, stars, galaxies, and all other forms of matter and energy. The Big Bang theory is the prevailing cosmological description of the development of the universe. ...
* Charlotte Sternwood Regan The Big Sleep
''The Big Sleep'' (1939) is a hardboiled crime novel by American-British writer Raymond Chandler, the first to feature the detective Philip Marlowe. It has been adapted for film twice, in 1946 and again in 1978. The story is set in Los Angel ...
* Regan Abbott, character in the movie A Quiet Place
''A Quiet Place'' is a 2018 American post-apocalyptic horror film directed by John Krasinski and written by Bryan Woods, Scott Beck and Krasinski, from a story conceived by Woods and Beck. The plot revolves around a father (Krasinski) and a mo ...
See also
* Reagan (disambiguation)
References
{{given name, type=both
Surnames of Irish origin
Surnames of Scottish origin
English-language surnames
Surnames from given names