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Regan

Gender
Mostly boys
Say it
REE-gan
Origin
Irish
UK rank, 2025
#870 for boys
US rank, 2025
#2,276 for girls

Regan is a name of Irish origin, meaning “little king”. In 2025 it ranked 870th for boys in the UK (40 babies) and 2,276th for girls in the US (80 babies).

What does Regan mean?

Irish: from the surname Ó Riagáin

“little king”

Anglicised from the Irish surname Ó Riagáin; Regan is also one of King Lear's two scheming daughters in Shakespeare.

More on Wiktionary.

Is Regan a girl's or a boy's name?

In recent years, Regan has been given to girls and boys, mostly boys. In 2025, it was given to 4 girls and 40 boys in the UK and 80 girls and 17 boys in the US.

How popular is Regan in the UK?

Rank in 2025
870th among boys
Babies in 2025
40 about 1 in 7,500 boys
Five-year trend
Falling down 54% in five years
Same name in a class
under 1% chance among 15 boys

In 2025, 40 boys in the UK were named Regan, making it the 870th most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 515th. Its busiest year was 1998, with 268 boys. 4 girls were also named Regan in 2025 (4,935th for girls).

Half of all the boys named Regan in the UK since 1996 were born between 2000 and 2012. It was already well used in 1996, when the records begin, so earlier boys aren't counted.

In 2025, 46 boys in the UK were given Regan or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #715, up from #870 for this spelling alone.

In 2025, 9% of the babies named Regan in the UK were girls.

Among boys in 2025, it was 914th in England and Wales and 495th in Scotland.

1996Busiest: 268 in 19982025
Regan in the UK, year by year
YearBoysRank
202540#870
202439#881
202345#807
202265#630
202156#707
202082#515
201995#473
201894#483
201793#488
2016117#417
2015110#431
201483#528
2013108#430
2012133#367
2011140#351
2010184#285
2009184#270
2008169#284
2007167#269
2006183#239
2005163#240
2004189#216
2003200#203
2002183#202
2001170#210
2000198#190
1999264#147
1998268#151
1997171#214
1996148#232

How popular is Regan in the US?

Rank in 2025
2,276th among girls
Babies in 2025
80 about 1 in 20,000 girls
Five-year trend
Falling down 45% in five years
Same name in a class
under 1% chance among 15 girls

In 2025, 80 girls in the US were named Regan, making it the 2,276th most popular name for girls. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 1,721st. Its busiest year was 2001, with 747 girls. It first appears in the records in 1946. 17 boys were also named Regan in 2025 (5,397th for boys).

Half of all the girls named Regan in the US since 1880 were born between 1993 and 2007, the years shaded on the chart below.

In 2025, 89 girls in the US were given Regan or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #1,840, up from #2,276 for this spelling alone.

In 1947, 33% of the babies named Regan in the US were girls. By 2025 it was 82%, with more girls than boys since 1967.

1946Busiest: 747 in 20012025
Regan in the US, year by year
YearGirlsRank
202580#2,276
202478#2,347
202377#2,352
2022121#1,720
2021118#1,739
2020117#1,721
2019147#1,490
2018160#1,399
2017189#1,251
2016216#1,164
2015262#1,018
2014238#1,074
2013294#877
2012327#823
2011277#931
2010390#722
2009401#724
2008441#688
2007558#548
2006518#568
2005653#467
2004726#420
2003669#448
2002737#397
2001747#391
2000592#469
1999611#440
1998615#431
1997564#449
1996487#490
1995397#578
1994365#612
1993285#737
1992220#890
1991205#932
1990163#1,078
1989137#1,184
1988116#1,260
198797#1,386
1986101#1,314
1985104#1,287
1984120#1,137
198388#1,358
198282#1,461
1981147#991
1980281#650
1979212#759
1978189#791
1977195#774
1976169#823
1975220#679
1974188#751
1973109#1,058
197272#1,380
197135#2,247
197036#2,203
196939#2,003
196830#2,205
196742#1,783
196647#1,632
196546#1,655
196450#1,610
196344#1,737
196231#2,112
196117#3,059
196013#3,511
195919#2,677
195816#2,971
195716#2,925
195624#2,248
195520#2,471
195415#2,888
195313#3,105
195217#2,580
195110#3,481
195013#2,908
194913#2,849
194813#2,827
194710#3,446
19466#4,416

Names like Regan

Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.

Other spellings of Regan

Names related to Regan

More Irish names

Every Irish name

Sources

Figures from Baby names in England and Wales (Office for National Statistics), Babies' first names (National Records of Scotland), Baby names (Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency) and Popular Baby Names (US Social Security Administration). Nameling last updated them on 20 October 2026. How the figures are worked out, and the data to download.

To cite this page: Nameling, “Regan: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/regan, updated 20 October 2026.