Reagan

[MMJK]

What would your first thought be if you met a girl or woman named Reagan? Does it remind you too much of Ronald Reagan or the Exorcist? We would be pronouncing it like reg-in (so the same as the president and the film), not ree-gan.

They are two very distinct-sounding names in most accents.

Raygun - long A

Reegun - long E

I would assume they also were even less familiar with the play because they didn't seem to know that it is spelled Regan and not Reagan.

I have a sister called Blair. My parents had no awareness of the politician when she was born, so I don't immediately assume political motives for a baby name matching that of a political figure. However, political associations (not necessarily motives) are predictable when you name someone Reagan, Blair, Thatcher, or Cameron in 2026.

If you love the name Reagan so much that it overcomes the connotations, then go for it. For perspective, if people want to look at the political realm it's also reminiscent of the surname of Scottish parliamentarian Ash Regan, who launched the "Unbuyable Act", urging Holyrood to drop centuries of misogyny and consider the impact to women and girls of living in a country where a woman "can be ordered like a pizza", and laying the groundwork for an egalitarian society even though that shocked misogynists around Scotland and the world.

I would instinctively pronounce baby Reagan's name (if I read it before I heard your pronunciation of it) RAY-gun like the president rather than REE-gan like Regan in King Lear. Maybe the Regan spelling would work better for you?

Awful

Extremely strange unless you’re a big fan of Ronald Reagan. Even if you are, can you be sure your daughter will have the same political views?

If you go with “Regan” I don’t think you’ll have the same issue, though I’ve not read the play and going by other replies here, might be worth doing that first to check the association doesn’t bother you.

My first thoughts! I actually briefly considered Regan (not that seriously) but couldn’t bear the association with such an awful character! I appreciate the spellings are different but the pronunciation is the same hence making the link to Lear when hearing ‘Reagan’ is something I would expect some people to do.

But the OP said the pronunciation would be the same and you’re much more likely to hear a child’s name rather than see it written down so this association isn’t a silly one to make.

If Op goes on to name her daughter this gawd-awful name having seen the overwhelming view and comments on this thread - then the expression “who needs enemies when…” springs to mind

Ronald. American and a bit tacky.

It’s not for me.
Nobody knows how to pronounce it.
It’s a bit too try hard for me.
Surname as first name type of thing.
Each to their own though.

The Exorcist then Ronald. I don’t like the name to be honest.

I thought of the break dancing Olympian called Raygun. She was SO funny.

I know a Reagan, but to me it sounds like a masculine name.

Reagan as first name = I would assume their parent was a fan of Ronald Reagan.

When Reagan was president there was a girl with surname Regan in our year at high school. I wanted to pity her for the similarity, but probably her parents were Ronald Reagan fans, too.

I believe the OP was referring to the ray-gun vs. regg-in pronunciations.

But wtf is ‘the Regg-in pronunciation’? As in Reginald? Nobody pronounces Reagan like that.

I was assuming that the regg sounds like the beginning of the word “regular”.

And again, whether the g is hard or soft, wtf is ‘the Regg-in pronunciation’? Nobody pronounces Reagan like that.

American name so I would assume one parent was from there.

@wafflesmgee , It’s not a name. Seriously. Regan was a character in Shakespeare's King Lear. Reagan name origin.

@Berlinlover , The correct pronunciation is Ree-gan not Ray-gan. Reagan is 'ray-gun', Regan is 'ree-gun'

@BillieWiper , Sorry, to me it's phonetic so that spelling sounds like 'rej- in' or 'regg- inn'. Rather than 'ray-gun'.
G is not a J sound unless it precedes an E, I or Y. e.g. regret, register, Margaret, edge. Your phonetics argument doesn't hold.

Reagan - think President Ronald
Regan - think a very unpleasant character indeed from King Lear.

Neither good! I’d avoid.

I didn't say silly - but it is wrong and I think spelling of names is important. I've spent 47 years having my name spelled incorrectly - even on my baby bracelet in hospital. Spell any other word you want incorrectly, but names are identity, it is important to spell them in the right way, even if the spelling is elaborate and weird. My name isn't elaborate or weird, it's five letters.

I was thinking of Reginald or Registration. So when the Op typed reg, to me it =rej. And nothing like 'Ray' which is phonetically how I'd pronounce the first syllable of Reagan.

King Lear nasty daughter for me (even with an alternative spelling).

My first thought is of The Exorcist, but that’s exactly why I like it. It was on my girls name list for this reason.