boy's name
Reginald
REJ-i-nuld
- Origin English
- Gender Boy
- Syllables 3
- Letters 8
- Popularity Uncommon
- Births on record 116,560
England and Wales
#229
2025 births
Reginald means counsel-power, and England and Wales ranks it 229th on 217 births against 1285th in the United States — one of the sharpest British-versus-American splits in this group. It holds 115,879 lifetime births in our records.
- Reginald is a name of English origin.
- Peaked in 1962, when 2,668 babies were given the name.
- It has been falling over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 21,669 babies in the United States is given this name.
- 3 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Reginald 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 | 131 |
| 1890s | 231 |
| 1900s | 439 |
| 1910s | 1,929 |
| 1920s | 3,717 |
| 1930s | 3,864 |
| 1940s | 7,100 |
| 1950s | 19,458 |
| 1960s | 25,152 |
| 1970s | 17,386 |
| 1980s | 13,670 |
| 1990s | 9,737 |
| 2000s | 5,271 |
| 2010s | 3,068 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 1,155 |
What Reginald means
Reginald means counsel-power, or the rule of advice. The Germanic joins a word for counsel to one meaning rule, so both halves describe how authority is exercised.
Where Reginald comes from
Reginald is the Latinised form of the Germanic Raginwald — ragin, counsel or advice, joined to wald, rule or power. The Norse cognate Rögnvaldr gave Ronald, so Reginald and Ronald are the same name arriving by different routes, which is not obvious from either. The ragin element appears in Ragnarök, usually read as the fate or judgment of the gods, and in Raymond. The medieval English form was Reynold, and the fox in the Reynard stories carries the same first element.
Reginald in use
Reginald peaked in the United States in 1962, when 2,668 babies were registered, and is falling in our data. It now ranks 229th in England and Wales on 217 births — far above every other market — then 1027th in Ireland and 1285th in the United States on 153, across 116,560 lifetime births in four of the seven markets we track. England ranking it more than a thousand places above America is the sharpest such split here.
How popular is Reginald?
In 2025, Reginald was given to 153 babies in the United States. It is used consistently but remains uncommon.
Where Reginald 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 Reginald is spelled
Birth registers count each spelling separately, so every one has its own ranking.
| Spelling | What it is | Births on record |
|---|---|---|
| Réginald | Réginald is a rare spelling of Reginald, written with an acute accent and recorded about 80 times, mostly in France. | 80 |
Names that peaked alongside Reginald
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Reginald also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Reginald over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
4 nicknames for Reginald
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.
Reginald 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 Reginald
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Reginald — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Reginald
What does the name Reginald mean?
Counsel-power — the Germanic ragin, advice, joined to wald, rule.
Is Reginald related to Ronald?
Yes. Ronald comes from the Norse cognate Rögnvaldr, so they are the same name by different routes.
Does Reginald mean king?
No, despite the resemblance to the Latin rex. The first element is ragin, counsel.
Where is Reginald most used?
England and Wales at 229th, more than a thousand places above the United States.
How popular is the name Reginald?
In 2025, Reginald was given to 153 babies in the United States. It is used consistently but remains uncommon.
Is Reginald a girl's or a boy's name?
Reginald is given almost entirely to boys in birth records.
How many syllables are in Reginald?
Reginald has 3 syllables.
When was Reginald most popular?
Reginald peaked in 1962, when 2,668 babies were given the name. It has been falling over the past decade.
What are the nicknames for Reginald?
Reginald is usually shortened to Reg, Reggie, Ronald and Regina.
Is Reginald a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Reginald currently ranks #229 in the United States. It has been falling over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.