unisex name
Reign
RAYN
- Origin English
- Gender Unisex
- Syllables 1
- Letters 5
- Popularity Top 1000 (US)
- Births on record 14,294
the United States
#452
2025 births
Reign is a unisex name taken from the English word for rule or sovereignty, from the Latin regnum. It is a modern coinage, and it shares its sound with rain and rein without sharing an origin with either.
- Reign is a name of English origin.
- Peaked in 2021, when 1,350 babies were given the name.
- It has been rising over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 3,266 babies in the United States is given this name.
- First appears in US birth records in 1994.
- 1 syllable, with the stress on syllable 1.
Reign over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1990s 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 |
|---|---|
| 1990s | 58 |
| 2000s | 580 |
| 2010s | 4,039 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 7,314 |
What Reign means
Reign means rule — the period or the act of a monarch's authority. Families choosing it are reaching for that sense of command and standing rather than for any inherited personal name.
Where Reign comes from
Reign comes through the Old French regne from the Latin regnum, a kingdom or royal authority, built on rex, a king. English has three unrelated words that sound identical: reign from regnum, rain from the Old English regn, and rein from the Latin retinere, to hold back. Only the first carries the royal sense. As a given name Reign belongs to the modern family of status words used as names alongside King, Legend and Royalty, and it appears in our records from 1994, given to girls and boys alike.
Reign in use
Reign first appears in our records in 1994 and peaked in 2021.
How popular is Reign?
In 2025, Reign was given to 1,015 babies in the United States, ranking #452 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Where Reign 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.
Names that peaked alongside Reign
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Reign also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Reign over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
Reign 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.
- Finnish
- Raine
Sibling names for Reign
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Reign — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Reign
What does the name Reign mean?
Rule or sovereignty, from the Latin regnum by way of Old French.
What is the difference between Reign, Rain and Rein?
They sound the same and share no origin. Reign is from Latin regnum, rain from Old English regn, and rein from Latin retinere, to hold back.
Is Reign a boy's or a girl's name?
Both, and used fairly evenly.
How popular is the name Reign?
In 2025, Reign was given to 1,015 babies in the United States, ranking #452 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
How many syllables are in Reign?
Reign has 1 syllable.
When was Reign most popular?
Reign peaked in 2021, when 1,350 babies were given the name. It has been rising over the past decade.
Is Reign a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Reign currently ranks #369 in the United States. It has been rising over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.