The family name Reagan, and its cognates Regan, O'Regan, O Regan, O'Reagan, is an Anglicized form of the Irish surname Ó Riagáin or Ó Ríogáin, from Ua Riagáin. The meaning is likely to originate in ancient Gaelic from ri "sovereign, king" and the diminutive -in, "the king's child", transliterating as "little king"
The feminine forename Regan is likely to have derived sometime later from the English royal name Regina.
Notable people with the surname include:
Jimmy Reagan (1888–1975), American boxer who won the World Bantamweight Championship. Ronald Reagan (1911–2004), 40th president of the United States Nancy Reagan (1921–2016), wife of Ronald Reagan and First Lady from 1981 to 1989 Maureen Reagan (1941–2001), President Reagan's daughter from his first marriage to Jane Wyman Michael Reagan (1945–2026), President Reagan's adopted son and radio talk show host Patricia Ann Reagan (born 1952), better known as Patti Davis, Ronald and Nancy Reagan's daughter Ron Reagan (born 1958), President Reagan's son and journalist Frank Reagan (1919–1972), American football player John Henninger Reagan (1818–1905), Confederate politician Johnny Reagan (1926–2018), American college baseball coach Lisa Reagan, American singer Marc Reagan, NASA Station Training Lead and NEEMO underwater program Mission Director Michael Joseph Reagan (born 1954), American judge Michele Reagan (born 1969), Secretary of State of Arizona Ron Reagan (Florida politician) (born 1954), American politician
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