Is it totally stupid, or does it have a ring to it? What kind of person do you see when you hear the name [name]Reagan[/name]?
I personally despise the name [name]Reagan[/name]… It is a legitimate, Shakespearan girl’s name spelled [name]Regan[/name], but I only think of [name]Ronald[/name] [name]Reagan[/name].
It’s not my style, but don’t think it’s “totally stupid” at all. That said, although [name]Regan[/name] is a Shakespearean name, when I see [name]Reagan[/name] ([name]Regan[/name], too), I have to admit that I only think of [name]Ronald[/name] [name]Reagan[/name]. As I’m typing this, his image is the only thing in my mind.
Wait! I’m now also thinking of the character named [name]Regan[/name] (played by [name]Linda[/name] [name]Blair[/name]) in The Exorcist.
I’m sorry I don’t have better associations with the name. 
Good luck!
My [name]SIL[/name] wanted to use [name]Reagan[/name] if their baby was a girl (they are having a boy)- while it’s not my style, I don’t think it is bad at all. but yes, I too think of [name]Ronald[/name] [name]Reagan[/name]… though for me that is not a bad thing.
One of my friends just named her baby [name]Reagan[/name]… and actually it was in honor of [name]Ronald[/name] [name]Reagan[/name] (her family’s major Republicans, but to be honest, there are worse people to have a name associated with). My cousin’s girlfriend is named [name]Reagan[/name] (she’s 25) and another friend’s cousin is [name]Reagan[/name] (she’s about 8). Personally, I like it and think it works for all of these girls even though they are all years apart. I think it’s kind of fun and spunky.
When my little brother was younger he had a play friend who was a girl named [name]Reagan[/name]. She was a cute little black girl. She was very sweet. I dont think its stupid at all. I picture a very pretty girl with curly hair.
If the name had no political associations, it would be fine, but it seems unfair-- to me at least-- to burden a kid with a partisan name. [name]Reagan[/name], [name]Kennedy[/name], [name]Clinton[/name]… They all seem like big fat labels rather than names. There’s just not enough growing room in a name like that.
I’ve always thought of it as a girls name… woops lol. I do think of the former president but not immediately and I think it’s a strong but pretty name. I’ve always liked it and it has the cute nn [name]Reggie[/name]. I think if you really like it, and don’t mind the [name]Ronald[/name] association then go for it.
Good [name]Luck[/name]
- [name]Charlie[/name]
A friend of mine named her daughters [name]Kennedy[/name] and [name]Reagan[/name] (they are middleschoolers now) & they are precious! I also went to highschool with a girl named [name]Reagan[/name]. Honestly - I don’t connect the name to the President because I formed the association with these girls 1st. I think it is lovely for a girl. While parents may connect it with [name]Ronald[/name] - other children won’t - not for a very long time. I say if you like it -go for it 
It’s a legitimate name, but there’s pretty much no way to negate the political connotations. If the political connotations are what you want, then go for it (although you run the risk of your daughter growing up to be a flaming leftist), but if you want a more neutral name, I think you’d have to look for something else–although the [name]Regan[/name] spelling is less politically charged, and Shakespearean too. The problem with that is that [name]Regan[/name] in [name]King[/name] Lear is a villain, but there are some very good analyses of the play that argue that she’s a sympathetic character who behaved defensibly–and she’s certainly a strong woman, regardless of the morality of her actions.
I remember a [name]Reagan[/name] when I took dance lessons. Her name might have been spelled [name]Regan[/name]. She might have even been called [name]Ree[/name]-gan, now that I think about it. No, it was [name]Regan[/name] - like [name]Megan[/name]. She had a recognizably Irish last name. I never asked about her name, figuring it was kind of Irish. I can sort of place the time I knew her before I was aware of [name]Ronald[/name] [name]Reagan[/name] running for POTUS, and surely she was named well before he became president - although he was notable as an actor and as governor of [name]California[/name] (to people who paid attention to that sort of thing, and weren’t, like, only 8 or 9 years old). I’m pretty sure it’s a girl’s name, on account of the [name]Regan[/name] in [name]Shakespeare[/name] and the [name]Regan[/name] in “The Exorcist,” which I found while looking up this name. Those two references are sort of disturbing. Since I never heard of this name before she was there, I can gather it came from somewhere else, like the [name]Shakespeare[/name] or a family name - while other Irish names like [name]Tara[/name] and [name]Erin[/name] were popular, [name]Regan[/name] sort of came out of nowhere - or somewhere significant to the parents, rhymes with [name]Megan[/name], kind of interesting but not terribly odd.
I don’t think he was an awesome president, so I would probably avoid this name, but it is also a valid Irish name and not terrible to hear. I don’t think it has the same weight an [name]Adolf[/name] would - as in there’s only one [name]Adolf[/name]. I think [name]Reagan[/name] or [name]Regan[/name] is sort of peppy, may be too much more of a namesake than I realize. I don’t like to make political statements, but we were discussing [name]Hilary[/name] and [name]Hillary[/name] not too long ago - that’s a polarizing name I don’t think ought to be, by which I mean, if you are one who doesn’t like her, does that mean something’s wrong with the name itself? [name]Clinton[/name] is equally polarizing, but notice Mr. hasn’t really ruined [name]William[/name] for people, nor has W. ruined people’s enthusiasm for the name [name]George[/name] or the letter W, or from landscaping their yard properly. [name]Even[/name] people who like [name]Hillary[/name] would probably consider something else due to not wanting people to target their daughter for no good reason - the popularity of the name currently seems timed directly after her arrival on the public scene in the early 1990s - dropped like a rock.
I think of [name]Reagan[/name] in the same category - it’s ok if you like it, and I probably would think there has to be another better name if it were me, because I didn’t like him. He is not the only [name]Reagan[/name] ever - we had some neighbors with that name also when I was growing up. He’s been out of office for over 20 years, so I don’t really think choosing it carries a lot of baggage, unless you are choosing it to express a positive feeling in that regard, in which case it does.
My first thought was The Exorcist, which is perhaps not the best connotation.
Pronounced ree-gyn, I actually think it’s really cute. I do prefer the [name]Regan[/name] spelling though. Since I was born after [name]Ronald[/name] [name]Reagan[/name] was in office, the presidential association doesn’t immeadiately grab me, plus I’m not familiar with The Exorcist. I doubt her peers would see anything odd about this name.
And can we please not bring in politics? I know there’s an obvious association with the name [name]Reagan[/name], but one of the things I LIKE about nameberry is that there’s usually little drama. [name]Just[/name] thought I’d say this now because discussion of political views usually leads to it…
I prefer [name]Regina[/name]
Pbbbt! Wahhahaha!! Are you serious? I don’t see a single post in here that was intended as an outright discussion of politics. Nobody wants that. Clearly, the name just has strong political overtones. In your everyday life, do you ask that conversations you walk in on stop and accommodate you so that you don’t feel uncomfortable?
I pronounce [name]Reagan[/name] just as I would [name]Ronald[/name] [name]Reagan[/name]'s last name ([name]Ray[/name]-ghin), and I only see it on a girl - I think a boy with this name would seem rather foolish. Anyway, either spelling - surname [name]Reagan[/name] or Shakespearean [name]Regan[/name] - is one of my personal favorite unisex names for girls, alongside [name]Harper[/name], [name]Ellis[/name], and [name]Hollis[/name].
I see a spunky girl, full of energy and life, perhaps a tomboy but she could also be quite girly. I see a smart, confident, bold, driven young lady with a good head on her shoulders, but a little girl who isn’t afraid to test her boundaries and get into a bit of mischief here and there. I think the name has spunk and character, and I think, though both names are rather popular, that the Shakespearean name combination of [name]Regan[/name] [name]Olivia[/name] is quite sweet!
Best wishes to you!
I’m sorry, I wasn’t trying to suggest that! It’s just that before I have seen people getting upset and causing drama on (fun) boards like this when they start sharing their religious, political, etc. beliefs. I thought there was potential for it to start and I’d hate to see anyone get nasty.
I’m sorry, I wasn’t trying to suggest that! It’s just that before I have seen people getting upset and causing drama on (fun) boards like this when they start sharing their religious, political, etc. beliefs. I thought there was potential for it to start and I’d hate to see anyone get nasty.[/quote]
Names do tend to represent ideals, and ideals can be very personal. I suppose it would be very easy to offend people by criticizing a name, but the whole point of forums like this is to generate interesting discussion and differing points of view. You can’t do that if everyone tip-toes around tactfully and never gets to the point. This site is a very docile arena as far as the internet goes. Though I agree that a political discussion in this thread would be silly and pointless, disagreement in itself doesn’t signify disrespect or nastiness. It can be, and I think it is being, very productive.
I’m sorry, I wasn’t trying to suggest that! It’s just that before I have seen people getting upset and causing drama on (fun) boards like this when they start sharing their religious, political, etc. beliefs. I thought there was potential for it to start and I’d hate to see anyone get nasty.[/quote]
I’ve seen it too, but I think we all want to avoid it! We can also mark posts if they go off topic or say something nasty and they will get deleted. There’s a little triangle with a ! in it, so if you see anything, click on it; don’t feed the trolls and just report it. I think we can all agree politics and political references can be polarizing and just leave it at that - even if you like someone, you can agree that some reactions from the other side might be unpleasant. People also carry these reactions to names they like or dislike due to associations, not necessarily political ones - like The Exorcist. I think you can say you wouldn’t use a name because you simply don’t favor the person, and leave it at that, and nobody will pick a fight with anyone.
We did have a nice thread about the name [name]Hillary[/name] a while ago and nobody started anything, and we discussed Ms. [name]Clinton[/name]'s popularity or lack of it and nobody forced anything unpleasant, and just wondered if it was a good idea or not to use the name despite a lot of people’s feelings. When someone wants to know how a name might go over in the real world, we might have to get near some touchy subjects - but just report things if they seem to go over the line.
However, and correct me if I’m wrong, the OP here is thinking of names for characters and not for children. That has a different weight to it - one might have a good reason to use a name for a character that they wouldn’t use for a child, and the character lives in a story world, and maybe it doesn’t matter, or maybe it’s ultra-significant to their development.
Are we good?
I just had a gut feeling someone might take something the wrong way. I was trying to help but I guess I probably ought to just keep those feelings to myself lol.