Thoughts on Reagan?

iVillage Member
Registered: 06-13-2007
Thoughts on Reagan?
17
Wed, 08-08-2007 - 10:18am

I was just wondering what everyone's opinions were on the name Reagan. I like it spelled like this.

tiffjune5.jpg picture by ambersspace

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iVillage Member
Registered: 12-09-2006
Thu, 08-09-2007 - 10:55am

I wouldn't do it. The main reason is that Reagan sounds quite masculine. You have given your son a masculine surname sounding name and your daughter a feminine firstname sounding name. If I heard your children were Hanna, Grant and Reagan I would assume you had a daughter and two sons.

I know you said that the associations with President Reagan don't bother you at all, but several of the posts here say that the associations would bother them. Like it or not, your child's name is often the first thing people use to assess him/her. Not that we do it consciously, but each of us had a certain set of images and impressions that go with various names and they predispose us to like or dislike people with those names. Most of the time these images are pretty personal (I like the name Malcolm and have had good experiences with the Malcolms I've known, but my husband won't consider the name b/c there's a difficult Malcolm at work and that's soured him on the name) and there's not much consistency b/c there are so many different people who bear the name and color our impressions of it.
However, with someone as famous as President Reagan, there will be lots of people who strongly admire him, lots of people who strongly dislike him, and lots of people who think of him as an old man in the fog of Alzheimer's disease. Other presidentential names don't have the same knee-jerk visceral reaction b/c whatever you think of Madison or Jefferson, those men are so far in the past that strong emotions don't play a role in your reaction to the name. I just think it's a lot to put on a child to place her in a position where she will have to constantly overcome other people's first impressions before they can really judge her for herself.

I think if you really, really like the name and want to use it, make it her middle name.

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-20-2003
Fri, 08-10-2007 - 12:24am

NMSAA but since you like it, I think it's best to combine

iVillage Member
Registered: 08-10-2007
Fri, 08-10-2007 - 11:41am
I love the name Reagan for a girl. I probably would have considered it if my last name did not end in "in". Unfortunately, it sounds terrible with our last name. I like the fact that it is not trendy but yet not too unusual.
iVillage Member
Registered: 06-27-2007
Fri, 08-10-2007 - 4:14pm
I think Reagan is a great name for a boy or girl. (I have known one of each.) And President Ronald Reagan was one of the greatest presidents of the 20th century, so it has a great association!
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
Sat, 08-11-2007 - 8:26pm
Its nms personally, but its ok. I liek Reagan Elizabeth.
iVillage Member
Registered: 08-20-2001
Sat, 08-11-2007 - 8:28pm
My thoughts on the name - "former President". That's always top of mind when I hear this name.
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iVillage Member
Registered: 08-11-2007
Sat, 08-11-2007 - 9:56pm
I named my daughter Raegan. We spelled it like this because it looked more feminine. It also shortens to Rae or Rae Rae (as she used to call herself before she could say Raegan). She's 2 1/2 now. 99% of people we meet love this name. It's not overly common either.

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