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Reagan

Girl / Boy name · 235 babies recorded · 1974–2025

Reagan: 235 babies born in Scotland since 1974, given to both boys and girls, peaking at 12 births in 1998.

The name Reagan has strong Irish roots, anglicised from the Gaelic surname Ó Ríagáin, meaning “descendant of Riagán”—a personal name itself derived from *rí*, the word for king. Its most famous bearer is Ronald Reagan, the 40th President of the United States, whose tenure gave the name international prominence. Washington’s Reagan National Airport is named in his honour, while the surname also appears in Scottish place-names like the town of Reagan in Fife, though this may share a separate Old English origin. A notable variant is Regan, the spelling made famous by King Lear’s treacherous daughter, yet the modern version tends to feel more fresh and unisex—often chosen for girls in recent decades, reflecting a broader trend of surnames becoming first names.