Reginald
Reginald was the 1284th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 153 babies. Its best year was 1968, when it ranked 117th; the most babies were born in 1962 (2,647). Over the last ten years it has moved down 402 places. More babies were named Reginald in the 1960s than in any other decade.
Meaning counsel + rule · Germanic, Latin
Say it REJ-ih-nuld /ˈɹɛdʒɪnəld/
- Rank in 2025
- #1,284 boys, down 294 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 153boys
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 19622,647 babies
- Total since 1880
- 112,308babies recorded
What does the name Reginald mean?
Reginald comes from Latin Reginaldus, a Latinized form of Germanic Raginwald, the source also of Reynold and Ronald, as Wiktionary notes. DMNES (under Reynold) glosses the elements as ragin 'counsel, might' and wald 'power, authority'. The Latin spelling was influenced by regina 'queen'. Reginald was popular in Victorian England and in the US in the mid-20th century.
ragin (Proto-Germanic, “counsel, might”)wald (Proto-Germanic, “power, authority”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Related names: Reynold, Ronald, Reggie, Rinaldo, Reinhold.
See also: Germanic names, names that mean wisdom, names that mean king or queen.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Reginald', Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, ed. S. L. Uckelman, Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Reynold', DMNES (Durham University)
Nicknames for Reginald
The usual nicknames for Reginald are Reggie and Reg. Some parents skip the long form: for every 100 boys named Reginald in the last five years, 45 were named Reggie, against 16 twenty years earlier.
| Nickname | Kind | Rank 2025 | Boys, 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reggie · also for Regina | Traditional | #1,860 | 425 |
| Reg | Traditional | — | — |
Nicknames reviewed by our editors; counts are boys given the nickname as their legal first name. Nobody records how many Reginalds go by each one.
Reginald popularity since 1880
A few girls are given the name too: 757 since 1920.
| Year | Rank (boys) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #1,284 | 153 |
| 2020 | #990 | 216 |
| 2010 | #615 | 403 |
| 2000 | #373 | 700 |
| 1990 | #230 | 1,284 |
| 1980 | #166 | 1,480 |
| 1970 | #142 | 2,307 |
| 1960 | #144 | 2,442 |
| 1950 | #175 | 1,297 |
| 1940 | #236 | 514 |
| 1930 | #276 | 424 |
| 1920 | #359 | 274 |
| 1910 | #323 | 59 |
| 1900 | #440 | 27 |
| 1890 | #421 | 19 |
| 1880 | #500 | 14 |
How popular is Reginald, counting every spelling?
Reginald has no other common spelling that sounds the same. Counting every name's spellings together, it ranks #1,220 for boys in 2025, against #1,284 on the official list.
How many kids will share the name Reginald?
153 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Reginald (0.04 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Reginald 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 55 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Reginald.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Reginald?
About 83,600 people born in the US named Reginald are alive today, with a median age of 54; half are between 38 and 64. That makes Reginald mostly worn by adults in their thirties to fifties.
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.
Reginald by state
How common Reginald was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Louisiana (3.2×), South Carolina (2.1×), Georgia (2.1×), Wisconsin (1.7×), North Carolina (1.6×). In 27 states fewer than five boys a year got the name, too few for SSA to publish, so those states show as zero.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Reginald: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Reginald, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Reginald · Sibling names for Reginald
Questions about the name Reginald
What does Reginald mean?
Reginald means “counsel + rule” (Germanic, Latin origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Reginald?
Reginald was the 1284th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 153 babies. Its best year was 1968, when it ranked 117th; the most babies were born in 1962 (2,647). Over the last ten years it has moved down 402 places. More babies were named Reginald in the 1960s than in any other decade.
Is Reginald a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name Reginald in the US.
Where is Reginald most popular?
In 2021–2025, Reginald was most common in Louisiana (0.35 per 1,000 boys), followed by South Carolina and Georgia.