Last updated: March 2026

Character Name

Reagan

Meaning — An anglicised form of the Irish surname "Ó Riagáin" or "Ó Reagáin", derived from the Old Irish "riagán" possibly meaning "little king" or from "rí" (king) combined with a diminutive suffix. The name transitioned from a patronymic surname to a given name through the Irish-American tradition of using family surnames as first names, a practice that preserved ancestral Celtic identity through generations of the diaspora.·Irish origin·Gender-Neutral·RAY-gan

Reagan Reagan carries a strong, assertive quality rooted in its royal etymology — "little king" is an ambitious name for a character who from an early age intuits their own capacity for leadership. In contemporary fiction the name is often given to characters who are confident, ambitious, and occasionally ruthless in their pursuit of their goals, qualities that Shakespeare's Regan embodied in their most extreme form. The name suits protagonists navigating power structures in modern settings.

Best genres for Reagan

Contemporary FictionPolitical FictionFamily SagaThrillerYoung Adult

Famous characters named Reagan

Regan

King Lear — William Shakespeare

The second of Lear's three daughters — calculating, ruthless, and ultimately as self-destructive as her own ambition.


Variations & nicknames

ReaganReganReaghanO'Reagan

Pairs well with

Reagan O'BrienReagan FlanneryReagan BurkeReagan CallahanReagan SheridanReagan Casey

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Related names

Declan

Old Irish · “Possibly derived from the Old Irish "Deaglán" or "Diaglán", with the most accepted interpretation being "full of goodness" or "man of prayer", though an alternate reading suggests "full of God" from "Dia" (God). Saint Declan of Ardmore was one of the earliest Christian missionaries in Ireland, predating Saint Patrick, and his name has been honoured in the Munster province for over fifteen centuries.”

Conor

Irish · “Anglicised form of the Irish "Conchobar" or "Conchobhar", derived from "con" (dog or wolf, used as an honorific for a great warrior) and "cobhar" (desiring or loving) — together possibly meaning "lover of hounds" or "wolf-lover". Conchobar mac Nessa was the king of Ulster in the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology, the lord who ruled over the great warriors including Cúchulainn.”

Brendan

Irish / Old Welsh · “Anglicised form of the Irish "Breandán", which derives from the Old Welsh "breenhin" or the Brittonic "brennos" meaning "prince" or "king". The name is most famously associated with Saint Brendan the Navigator (c. 484–577 AD), an Irish monk from County Kerry whose legendary ocean voyage — the "Navigatio Sancti Brendani" — describes a fantastic seven-year journey across the Atlantic, possibly reaching the Americas centuries before Columbus.”

Niall

Old Irish · “An Old Irish name of debated etymology — most scholars derive it from a Proto-Celtic root meaning "champion", "cloud", or possibly "passionate". It is most famously borne by Niall of the Nine Hostages (Niall Noígíallach), the legendary High King of Ireland from around the 4th–5th century whose descendants, the Uí Néill dynasty, dominated Irish politics for centuries. Genetic studies suggest a remarkable proportion of men with Irish heritage descend from him.”


More Irish names

Padraig

“The Irish form of Patrick, derived from the Latin "Patricius" meaning "nobleman" or "of noble birth", from "pater" (father). Saint Patrick (c. 385–461 AD), the patron saint of Ireland, was a Romano-British missionary who became the most celebrated figure in Irish Christianity. The Irish form Pádraig has been used in Ireland continuously since the early medieval period.”

Breana

“A modern variant spelling of Brianna, the feminine form of Brian, an Irish name of disputed origin — likely from a Celtic root meaning "high," "noble," or "hill." The name Brian was borne by the legendary Irish High King Brian Boru (941–1014), which cemented its prestige in Irish tradition. Breana is the softer, more contemporary rendering of this lineage.”

Saoirse

“Derived directly from the Irish word "saoirse" meaning "freedom" or "liberty", itself from "saor" meaning "free". The name rose to prominence in Ireland during the 1920s, in the aftermath of the Irish War of Independence and the establishment of the Irish Free State, when the concept of freedom carried profound political and cultural weight.”

Kellie

“Kellie is a feminine variant of Kelly, an Irish surname and given name derived from the Gaelic ceallach, possibly meaning "war" or "bright-headed." As a given name Kelly became popular in the English-speaking world from the mid-twentieth century, with Kellie as a distinctly feminine spelling variant.”

Dessie

“Dessie is an English masculine given name, most commonly a short form of Desmond, which derives from the Irish Deas-Mhumhan meaning "south Munster" — a territorial name from the Irish province. It may also be used as a feminine diminutive of Désirée (from the French for "desired"). The name is found primarily in Ireland, England, and the American South.”

Seán

“Irish form of John, derived via the Old French "Jehan" from the Latin "Joannes" and Greek "Ioannes", ultimately from the Hebrew "Yohanan" meaning "God is gracious". Seán is one of the most common Irish masculine names and has been used in Ireland since the Norman period. Its anglicised form Shawn/Shane reflects the Irish pronunciation and is widely used throughout the English-speaking world.”


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