Regan is a

unisex Unisex is an adjective indicating something is not sex-specific, i.e. is suitable for any type of sex. The term can also mean gender-blindness or gender neutrality. The term 'unisex' was coined in the 1960s and was used fairly informally. The co ...

given name A given name (also known as a forename or first name) is the part of a personal name quoted in that identifies a person, potentially with a middle name as well, and differentiates that person from the other members of a group (typically a f ...

with multiple origins. It is a transferred use of the Irish surnames Regan and Reagan, which are

Anglicized Anglicisation or anglicization is a form of cultural assimilation whereby something non-English becomes assimilated into or influenced by the culture of England. It can be sociocultural, in which a non-English place adopts the English language ...

forms of Ó Riagáin, meaning ‘’descendant of Riagáin’’, a name of uncertain meaning. It might also be associated with the

Irish language Irish (Standard Irish: ), also known as Irish Gaelic or simply Gaelic ( ), is a Celtic language of the Indo-European language family. It is a member of the Goidelic languages of the Insular Celtic sub branch of the family and is indigenous ...

word ''ríogan'', meaning ''queen''. Use for girls was influenced by a character in

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

’s tragic play ''

King Lear ''The Tragedy of King Lear'', often shortened to ''King Lear'', is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare. It is loosely based on the mythological Leir of Britain. King Lear, in preparation for his old age, divides his ...

''. Regan was more commonly used for males in the

Anglosphere The Anglosphere, also known as the Anglo-American world, is a Western-led sphere of influence among the Anglophone countries. The core group of this sphere of influence comprises five developed countries that maintain close social, cultura ...

in the 1800s. It came into occasional use for girls in the United States in the late 1940s. Usage of the name for American girls doubled after it was used for a character in the 1973 American supernatural horror film ''

The Exorcist ''The Exorcist'' is a 1973 American supernatural horror film directed by William Friedkin from a screenplay by William Peter Blatty, based on The Exorcist (novel), his 1971 novel. The film stars Ellen Burstyn, Max von Sydow, Jason Miller (play ...

''. The name was ranked among the top 1,000 names for American girls for the first time in 1974. Along with Reagan, the name dropped in popularity during the presidency of United States president

Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan (February 6, 1911 – June 5, 2004) was an American politician and actor who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He was a member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party a ...

in the 1980s, when it was out of fashion to name children after presidents. The names Regan and Reagan, along with phonetic spelling variants such as Raegan and Raygan, all increased in use during the 1990s and remain in regular use for both boys and girls. In some instances, the name might have been seen as a less popular alternative to the name

Megan Megan is a Welsh feminine given name, originally a diminutive form of Margaret. Margaret is from the Greek μαργαρίτης (''margarítēs''), Latin ''margarīta'', "pearl". Megan is one of the most popular Welsh-language names for women in ...

Men

* Regan Bailey, American nutritional epidemiologist * Regan Buckley (born 1997), Irish professional boxer * Regan Burns (born 1968), American actor, comedian, and game show host * Regan Charles-Cook (born 1997), English professional footballer * Regan Gascoigne (born 1996), English professional dancer, singer and actor * Regan Gentry (born 1976), New Zealand artist and sculptor * Regan Gough (born 1996), New Zealand professional track cyclist and road cyclist * Regan Griffiths (born 2000), English professional footballer * Regan Grimes (born 1993), Canadian bodybuilder * Regan Gurung (born 1969), American psychologist and author *

Regan Hagar Regan Hagar is an American musician. Primarily a drummer, he also plays keyboard and guitar on occasion. He was the drummer of the rock band Malfunkshun from 1980 to 1988, featuring Andrew Wood of Mother Love Bone on vocals and Kevin Wood on ...

, American musician *

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 former breaststroke swimmer and Olympian * Regan Hendry (born 1998), Scottish professional footballer * Regan Kelly (born 1981), Canadian former professional ice hockey player * Regan King (born 1980), New Zealand rugby union player * Regan Mizrahi (born 2000), American former child actor *

Regan Poole Regan Leslie Poole (born 18 June 1998) is a Welsh footballer who plays as a centre back for club Portsmouth and the Wales national team. Early life Poole was born in Cardiff and loved playing football from an early age. Club career Newport C ...

(born 1998), Welsh footballer * Regan Riley (born 2002), English professional footballer * Regan Ryzuk (born 1955), American composer and pianist *

Regan Slater Regan Newman Slater (born 11 September 1999) is an English professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for club Hull City. Club career Born in Gleadless, Slater is a graduate of the Sheffield United academy. He further progressed to ...

(born 1999), English professional footballer * Regan Lee Smith (born 1983), American former professional stock car racing driver and a current pit reporter for Fox NASCAR * Regan Tamihere (born 1984), New Zealand former professional rugby union player * Regan Upshaw (born 1975), American former professional football player *

Regan Walker Regan Craig Walker (born 4 June 1996) is an English former footballer who played for Bury. Career Born in Manchester, Walker began his career with Bury having previously been at Manchester City's academy. He made his Football League debut on ...

(born 1996), English former footballer *

Regan Ware Regan Edward Ware (born 7 August 1994) is a New Zealand professional rugby union player who plays as a back for the New Zealand national sevens team. Club career Ware was named as a late signing for during the 2021 Bunnings NPC after a sea ...

(born 1994), New Zealand professional rugby union player

Women

* Regan Hood Scott (born 1983), American volleyball player * Regan Lamble (born 1991), Australian athlete and Olympian * Regan Lauscher (born 1980), Canadian luger and Olympian *

Regan Mandryk Regan Lee Mandryk is a Professor of Computer Science at the University of Saskatchewan. She specializes in Human-computer interaction. Early life and education Mandryk was born on December 9, 1975, in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Mandryk earned her Bache ...

, Canadian academic * Regan Rathwell (born 2004), Canadian competitive swimmer and Olympian * Regan Russell (1955–2020), Canadian animal rights activist * Regan Smith (born 2002), American competitive swimmer and Olympian *

Regan Yee Regan Yee (born 4 July 1995) is a Canadian athlete who specializes in the 3000 metres steeplechase. She has represented Canada at the 2019, 2022, and 2023 World Athletics Championships as well as at the 2020 Summer Olympics. International comp ...

(born 1995), Canadian track and field athlete and Olympian

Fictional characters

* Regan, a daughter of King Lear in Shakespeare's play ''King Lear'' * Regan Abbott, character in the movie ''

A Quiet Place ''A Quiet Place'' is a 2018 American post-apocalyptic horror film directed by John Krasinski. The screenplay was written by Scott Beck and Bryan Woods from a story they conceived, with contributions by Krasinski after he joined the project. T ...

'' * 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 *

Regan MacNeil Regan Teresa MacNeil (born April 6, 1959) is a fictional character in the 1971 novel '' The Exorcist'' and one of the supporting characters in its 1973 film adaptation and the 1977 film '' Exorcist II: The Heretic'', while being one of the mai ...

, the central character of the novel ''The Exorcist'' * Regan O'Neill, the narrator and viewpoint character of the novel ''

Luna Luna commonly refers to: * Earth's Moon, named "Luna" in Latin, Spanish and other languages * Luna (goddess) In Sabine and ancient Roman religion and myth, Luna is the divine embodiment of the Moon (Latin ''Lūna'' ). She is often presented as t ...

'' by

Julie Anne Peters Julie Anne Peters (January 16, 1952 – March 21, 2023) was an American author of young adult fiction. Peters published 20 works, mostly novels, geared toward children and adolescents, many of which feature LGBT characters. In addition to the U ...

* Regan Wyngarde, also known as Lady Mastermind, a Marvel Comics villain

References

{{reflist Unisex given names