girl's name
Regina
ruh-JEE-nuh
- Origin Latin
- Gender Girl
- Syllables 3
- Letters 6
- Popularity Top 1000 (US)
- Births on record 192,253
the United States
#395
2025 births
Regina is the Latin word for a queen, taken unchanged, and it is still the legal abbreviation in British courts — every criminal case against a defendant is formally Regina versus the accused. Our data marks it reviving.
- Regina is a name of Latin origin.
- Peaked in 1962, when 5,019 babies were given the name.
- After peaking in the 1960s it fell out of use, and is now climbing again — a classic revival.
- Today about 1 in 4,218 babies in the United States is given this name.
- 3 syllables, with the stress on syllable 2.
Regina over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1880s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 621 |
| 1890s | 1,353 |
| 1900s | 2,243 |
| 1910s | 7,405 |
| 1920s | 10,690 |
| 1930s | 7,045 |
| 1940s | 12,757 |
| 1950s | 30,867 |
| 1960s | 46,002 |
| 1970s | 28,464 |
| 1980s | 14,665 |
| 1990s | 6,927 |
| 2000s | 4,551 |
| 2010s | 6,250 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 4,995 |
What Regina means
Regina means queen. It is the ordinary Latin noun for a reigning woman, used unchanged as a name, so the meaning is exact rather than reconstructed from older elements.
Where Regina comes from
Regina is the Latin regina, a queen, feminine of rex — the same root as royal, regal and the Indian raja, all descending from an Indo-European word for a ruler. Its use as a name comes through the Marian title Regina Caeli, Queen of Heaven. It survives in British legal usage as the R in case names: while a queen reigns, prosecutions are brought in her name and cited as Regina versus the defendant, abbreviated to R, and the form switches to Rex under a king. Regina, Saskatchewan was named for Queen Victoria in 1882.
Regina in use
Regina peaked in the United States in 1962, when 5,019 babies were registered, and our data marks it reviving. It now ranks 395th in the United States on 786 births, 2945th in England and Wales and 3152nd in France, across 192,253 lifetime births in four of the seven markets we track. It is one of nine reviving names in this group, a cluster that also holds Rosemary, Pearl, Loretta and Gertrude.
How popular is Regina?
In 2025, Regina was given to 786 babies in the United States, ranking #395 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Where Regina is used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
How Regina is spelled
Birth registers count each spelling separately, so every one has its own ranking.
| Spelling | What it is | Births on record |
|---|---|---|
| Régina | Régina is a rare spelling of Regina, written with an acute accent and recorded about 180 times, mostly in France. | 180 |
Names that peaked alongside Regina
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Regina also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Regina over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
2 nicknames for Regina
Each one is a name in its own right — the figure underneath is how it is doing today, so you can see which short forms are rising and which have faded.
Regina in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
Sibling names for Regina
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Regina — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Regina
What does the name Regina mean?
Queen — the ordinary Latin noun, used unchanged.
Why do British court cases say Regina?
Prosecutions are brought in the monarch's name. Under a queen it is Regina versus the defendant; under a king, Rex.
Is Regina Saskatchewan named after the name?
After the title — the city was named for Queen Victoria in 1882.
Is Regina coming back?
Our data marks it reviving, at 395th in the United States.
How popular is the name Regina?
In 2025, Regina was given to 786 babies in the United States, ranking #395 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Is Regina a girl's or a boy's name?
Regina is given almost entirely to girls in birth records.
How many syllables are in Regina?
Regina has 3 syllables.
When was Regina most popular?
Regina peaked in 1962, when 5,019 babies were given the name. After peaking in the 1960s it fell out of use, and is now climbing again — a classic revival.
What are the nicknames for Regina?
Regina is usually shortened to Gina and Reggie.
Is Regina a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Regina currently ranks #395 in the United States. After peaking in the 1960s it fell out of use, and is now climbing again — a classic revival. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.