given name
A given name (also known as a forename or first name) is the part of a personal name quoted in that identifies a person, potentially with a middle name as well, and differentiates that person from the other members of a group (typically a f ...
in the
English language
English is a West Germanic language that developed in early medieval England and has since become a English as a lingua franca, global lingua franca. The namesake of the language is the Angles (tribe), Angles, one of the Germanic peoples th ...
meaning "
king
King is a royal title given to a male monarch. A king is an Absolute monarchy, absolute monarch if he holds unrestricted Government, governmental power or exercises full sovereignty over a nation. Conversely, he is a Constitutional monarchy, ...
".
Etymology and history
The name Reginald comes from
Latin
Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...
meaning "king" and "ruler" symbolizing authority and leadership. It comes from combining Latin “ rex” meaning king and “nald” meaning ruler. The name is derived from ''Reginaldus'' which means "king". This name signifies a ruler or kingly figure, representing authority and leadership. This Latin name is a Latinisation of a
Germanic language
The Germanic languages are a branch of the Indo-European language family spoken natively by a population of about 515 million people mainly in Europe, North America, Oceania, and Southern Africa. The most widely spoken Germanic language, ...
name. The Germanic name is composed of two elements: the first ''ragin'', meaning "advice", "counsel", "decision"; the second element is ''wald'', meaning "rule", "ruler". The Old German form of the name is ''Raginald'';
Today ''Reginald'' is regarded as a very formal name, and bearers generally shorten their name to ''Reg'' in ordinary usage. ''Reggie (pet name)">Reggie'' is a pet form of ''Reg''.
People with the name
Middle Ages
:''Ordered chronologically''
* Reginald I, Count of Burgundy (986–1057), second Count of the Free County of Burgundy
* Reginald I, Count of Bar, Count of Bar (1105–1149)
* Reginald de Dunstanville, 1st Earl of Cornwall (–1175), also High Sheriff of Devon
*
Raynald of Châtillon
Raynald of Châtillon ( 11244 July 1187), also known as Reynald, Reginald, or Renaud, was Prince of Antioch—a crusader states, crusader state in the Middle East—from 1153 to 1160 or 1161, and Lord of Oultrejordain—a Vassals of the Kingdo ...
Elton John
Sir Elton Hercules John (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight; 25 March 1947) is a British singer, songwriter and pianist. His music and showmanship have had a significant, lasting impact on the music industry, and his songwriting partnership with l ...
(born Reginald Kenneth Dwight), English singer
* Reginald Dyer (1864-1927), British-Indian army officer, mostly remembered for ordering the Jallianwala Bagh massacre in 1919.
* Reginald Earnshaw (1927–1941), believed to be the youngest person in the British services to have died in the Second World War
* Reginald Fessenden (1866–1932), inventor who conducted pioneering experiments in radio
* Reggie Fils-Aimé (born 1961), American businessman and former president/COO of Nintendo of America
* Reg Fleming (1936–2009), National Hockey League player
* Rex Harrison (1908–1990), English actor
* Reginald Goodridge (born 1952), Liberian politician
* Reginald Hill (1936–2012), British crime writer
*
Reginald D. Hunter
Reginald Darnell Hunter (born March 26, 1969) is an American stand-up comedy, stand-up comedian based in the United Kingdom.
Early life
Reginald Darnell Hunter was born on March 26, 1969, in Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, the youngest of nine.Ma ...
, American comedian, living and working in Britain
* Reggie Jackson (born 1946), former Major League Baseball player, member of the Baseball Hall of Fame
* Reg Keys, British anti-war campaigner and parliamentary candidate
* Reginald Knight (died 1969), Rhodesian politician and judge.
* Reginald Kray (1933–2000), one of the Kray twins, English criminals
* Reginald Lee (1870-1913), lookout stationed in the crow's nest of the
RMS Titanic
RMS ''Titanic'' was a British ocean liner that Sinking of the Titanic, sank in the early hours of 15 April 1912 as a result of striking Iceberg that struck the Titanic, an iceberg on her maiden voyage from Southampton, England, to New York Ci ...
Reginald Prentice
Reginald Ernest Prentice, Baron Prentice, Privy Council (United Kingdom), PC (16 July 1923 – 18 January 2001) was a British politician who held ministerial office in both Labour Party (UK), Labour and Conservative Party (UK), Conservative Par ...
Reg Varney
Reginald Alfred Varney (11 July 1916 – 16 November 2008) was an English actor, entertainer and comedian. He is best remembered for having played the lead role of bus driver Stan Butler in the London Weekend Television, LWT sitcom ''On the Buse ...
(1916–2008), English actor, entertainer and comedian
* Reginald VelJohnson (born 1952), American actor
* Reggie White (1961–2004), American football player, member of both the College and Pro Football Halls of Fame
* Reginald Mengi, who was a Tanzanian Billionaire, and chairman of IPP companies
* Reginald (wrestler), professional wrestler and former acrobat
Fictional characters
* Reginald, in Saki short stories
* Reginald, nemesis and cousin of Richie Rich in the movie and comic books
* Reginald Barclay, a recurring character in the ''
Star Trek
''Star Trek'' is an American science fiction media franchise created by Gene Roddenberry, which began with the Star Trek: The Original Series, series of the same name and became a worldwide Popular culture, pop-culture Cultural influence of ...
'' fictional universe
* Reginald Bunthorne, the main character of the Gilbert and Sullivan opera ''
Patience
or forbearance, is the ability to endure difficult or undesired long-term circumstances. Patience involves perseverance or tolerance in the face of delay, provocation, or stress without responding negatively, such as reacting with disrespect ...
''
* Bushroot, Reginald Bushroot, supervillain in the Disney television series '' Darkwing Duck''
* Reginald Deadman, police constable in the British television sitcom '' Goodnight Sweetheart''
* Reggie Mantle, in Archie Comics
* Reginald Perrin, the main character of a series of novels by David Nobbs, and '' The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin'', the popular BBC-commissioned 1970s comedy based upon it
* Reginald Jeeves, the personal servant to Bertie Wooster in a series of short stories and novels by P. G. Wodehouse
* Reginald "Reg" Hollis, a long-standing fictional police constable in the British television series ''
The Bill
''The Bill'' is a British police procedural television series, broadcast on ITV (TV network), ITV from 16 October 1984 until 31 August 2010. The programme originated from a one-off drama, "Woodentop (The Bill), Woodentop" (part of the ''Storyb ...
''
* Reginald "Bubbles" Cousins, in the American television series ''
The Wire
''The Wire'' is an American Crime fiction, crime Drama (film and television), drama television series created and primarily written by the American author and former police reporter David Simon for the cable network HBO. The series premiered o ...
''
* Reginald, a fictional
koala
The koala (''Phascolarctos cinereus''), sometimes inaccurately called the koala bear, is an arboreal herbivorous marsupial native to Australia. It is the only Extant taxon, extant representative of the Family (biology), family ''Phascolar ...
in ''
American Dad!
''American Dad!'' is an American animated sitcom created by Seth MacFarlane, Mike Barker (producer), Mike Barker and Matt Weitzman for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series premiered on February 6, 2005, following Super Bowl XXXIX, with the r ...
'', voiced by Erik Durbin
* Chief Inspector Reginald Wexford, the protagonist in a series of mysteries by Ruth Rendell
* General Reginald Peter Skarr, in '' Evil Con Carne'' and '' The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy''
* Reginald "Belch" Huggins, a minor antagonist in
Stephen King
Stephen Edwin King (born September 21, 1947) is an American author. Dubbed the "King of Horror", he is widely known for his horror novels and has also explored other genres, among them Thriller (genre), suspense, crime fiction, crime, scienc ...
’s 1986 novel '' It''
* Reginald "Red" Forman, in '' That '70s Show''
* Reginald Roach, in the '' RoboRoach'' animated TV series
* Chief Superintendent Reginald Bright, in the '' Endeavour'' TV series
* Reginald Bane, a recurring character in '' Mysticons'' animated TV series
* Captain Reginald Thisleton, a World War I fighter pilot whom Woodhouse is heavily implied to have been lovers with in an episode of Archer
* Reginald, a
lion
The lion (''Panthera leo'') is a large Felidae, cat of the genus ''Panthera'', native to Sub-Saharan Africa and India. It has a muscular, broad-chested body (biology), body; a short, rounded head; round ears; and a dark, hairy tuft at the ...