I have a great aunt named [name_f]Regina[/name_f] who goes by [name_u]Jean[/name_u] and I’ve always loved the name and loved the idea of honoring her, however I can’t get past the Mean Girls connotation? Does anyone have suggestions as to how to get past a bad connotation or do most people think it’s unusable for the Mean Girls connotation?
I like [name_f]Regina[/name_f] and like [name_u]Reggie[/name_u] or [name_u]Jean[/name_u]/[name_u]Gene[/name_u] as a short form.
For me the mean girls ref is still there and equally, I’ve heard even adults joke that it sounds like vagina…
[name_u]Jean[/name_u], [name_f]Gina[/name_f], [name_f]Rina[/name_f], [name_f]Jeanie[/name_f], [name_u]Rae[/name_u], [name_f]Nina[/name_f] and [name_f]Gia[/name_f] couls be alternatives??
Honestly I wouldn’t advise it, it looks like vagina and any regina probably gets vagina jokes all the time
I [name_u]LOVE[/name_u] the name [name_f]Regina[/name_f] and I know a few of them. Where I attended school, it was widely used among both Irish and Italian Americans, so that overrode the Mean Girls associations for me. (I guess I went to school in a “[name_f]Regina[/name_f] cluster.”) To my ear, it is a beautiful, strong, spunky name and I could absolutely imagine using it. I like [name_f]Ginny[/name_f] as a possible nickname, but it is such a beautiful name it seems a shame not use it in full, and the Reginas I know don’t shorten it.
[name_f]Regina[/name_f] is one of my favourite names ever, and Mean Girls don’t come to mind at all. I’d say go for it 
That’s a tough one. I was actually thinking about [name_f]Regina[/name_f] the other day, and I have personally decided against it for the reasons mentioned above (Mean Girls associations and vagina jokes, plus I have a degree in [name_m]Law[/name_m] so I always think of R./[name_f]Regina[/name_f] being used in criminal prosecutions to mean the monarch/the state).
That being said, I went to school with a [name_f]Regina[/name_f] who pronounced her name with a hard “G”. It worked fine for her, she was never made fun of.
I like [name_f]Regina[/name_f]. I think it’s usable. I really liked Mean Girls when I was a teenager so I don’t think the association is necessarily a bad thing. It’s quite nostalgic for me. Plus I think the next generation of kids probably won’t be very aware of the movie.
There’s also the singer/musician [name_f]Regina[/name_f] Spektor.
I totally forgot about [name_f]Regina[/name_f] in Mean Girls, the first thing I think of is also Once Upon a Time (which I love the character!).
I also love that the names meaning is “[name_f]Queen[/name_f]”, it’s so regal and pretty imo.
[name_f]Ginny[/name_f] is a great nn!
[name_f]Regina[/name_f] sees a fair amount of use in Catholic circles, and I don’t think it’s unusable outside that community. The name does have a habit of popping up in TV and film for evil queen/mean girl characters, doesn’t it?
I think it’s usable! The mean girls reference is only one film that not everyone knows and it’s different once it’s on a real little human! The vagina reference didn’t even come to my mind because of the different pronunciation.
I’m preferring the nicknames [name_f]Ginny[/name_f] and [name_f]Nina[/name_f] rather than [name_u]Jean[/name_u] (which to me feels dated)… [name_f]Gigi[/name_f] could also be a nn option
I like [name_f]Regina[/name_f] and [name_f]Regina[/name_f] from Mean Girls isn’t my first association but rather the singer [name_f]Regina[/name_f] Spektor.