Regina
Regina was the 395th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 786 babies. Its best year was 1967, when it ranked 80th; the most babies were born in 1962 (5,002). Over the last ten years it has moved up 121 places. More babies were named Regina in the 1960s than in any other decade.
Meaning queen · Latin
Say it rih-JEE-nuh /rɪˈdʒinə/
- Rank in 2025
- #395 girls, up 37 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 786girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 19625,002 babies
- Total since 1880
- 184,835babies recorded
What does the name Regina mean?
Regina is the Latin word for "queen". Wiktionary notes the name first referred to the Virgin Mary as Queen of Heaven (Regina Caeli). DMNES lists a 3rd-century French martyr, Saint Regina, and records the name in France from the 9th century and in England in 1562. The Canadian city of Regina was named for Queen Victoria.
rēgīna (Latin, “queen”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Related names: Reina, Regine, Gina.
See also: Latin names, names that mean king or queen.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Regina', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources (ed. S. L. Uckelman), Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Regina', DMNES, Durham University
- Dictionary.com Unabridged (based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary), with Collins English Dictionary, s.v. 'regina', Dictionary.com / Random House / HarperCollins
Nicknames for Regina
The usual nicknames for Regina are Gina and Reggie. Some parents skip the long form: for every 100 girls named Regina in the last five years, 12 were named Gina, against 140 twenty years earlier. Reggie is also gaining on the full name.
| Nickname | Kind | Rank 2025 | Girls, 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gina · also for Georgina, Eugenia | Traditional | #2,085 | 508 |
| Reggie · also for Reginald | Modern | #8,750 | 67 |
Nicknames reviewed by our editors; counts are girls given the nickname as their legal first name. Nobody records how many Reginas go by each one.
Regina popularity since 1880
A few boys are given the name too: 563 since 1915.
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #395 | 786 |
| 2020 | #432 | 710 |
| 2010 | #586 | 501 |
| 2000 | #529 | 499 |
| 1990 | #280 | 993 |
| 1980 | #143 | 2,045 |
| 1970 | #86 | 4,433 |
| 1960 | #105 | 4,583 |
| 1950 | #143 | 2,166 |
| 1940 | #236 | 719 |
| 1930 | #215 | 799 |
| 1920 | #186 | 1,116 |
| 1910 | #189 | 359 |
| 1900 | #222 | 201 |
| 1890 | #229 | 114 |
| 1880 | #258 | 36 |
How popular is Regina, counting every spelling?
Regina is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #417 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #395 for Regina on its own. Together these spellings went to 786 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Regina | 786 | #395 | 4,285 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Regina?
786 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Regina (0.22 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Regina born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 11 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Regina.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Regina?
About 136,800 people born in the US named Regina are alive today, with a median age of 58; half are between 45 and 66. That makes Regina a name most people associate with older generations.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Regina by state
How common Regina was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Texas (3.4×), New Mexico (3.3×), Arizona (3.0×), California (1.9×), Nevada (1.7×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in Louisiana, Arkansas, South Carolina.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Regina: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Regina, they share its era and feel.
Questions about the name Regina
What does Regina mean?
Regina means “queen” (Latin origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Regina?
Regina was the 395th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 786 babies. Its best year was 1967, when it ranked 80th; the most babies were born in 1962 (5,002). Over the last ten years it has moved up 121 places. More babies were named Regina in the 1960s than in any other decade.
Is Regina a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Regina in the US.
Where is Regina most popular?
In 2021–2025, Regina was most common in Texas (1.78 per 1,000 girls), followed by New Mexico and Arizona.