Origin: |
Reginald is a later form of Reynold based on the Latinised form Reginaldus. Reynold was the medieval English form of the Old Germanic name Raginald, made up of the elements ragin "advice, counsel" and wald "rule, might". Reginald became Reinald, Reynaud in Old French which was then brought over to Britain by the Normans where it became Reynold and later Reginald. Raginald was cognate with the Old Norse Rögnvaldr and Old English Rægenweald. |
Usage: |
The Old English Rægenweald can be found in a handful of examples in Anglo-Saxon England. However, it is the Old Norse Rögnvaldr (later Ragnall) which is found most prominently across Britain thanks to overlordship by several notable Viking jarls. Ragnall ua Ímair (died 921), was a King of Waterford and York; Ragnall mac Gofraid (died 1004/1005) was King of the Isles and Rognvald Brusason (died c. 1046) was Earl of Orkney. Many later examples abound, but it is these early records which show that cognates of the name were present in Britain before the Normans prominently brought over their own form: Reinald/Reynaud. Several notable Anglo-Norman barons bore the name including Reginald de Dunstanville, 1st Earl of Cornwall (c. 1110–1175), writer and monk Reginald of Canterbury (died c. 1109) and Reginald, Bishop of the Isles (died c.1226). By the 14th century, Redmonds calculates that Reginald/Reynold was #19 for men living in 1377-81 amongst ten English counties which puts it in moderate use. It was in good enough use to create a number of surnames including Reynold, Reynolds, Reynoldson, Rennell, Reynell, Renaud and Renaut. Smith Bannister's rank of top 50 names from 1538 to 1700 in England shows that Reynold was in moderate use up until the 17th century, but then it saw a decline: Reginald itself came into proper established use in the 16th century, but it wasn't common until it was revived in the mid-19th century. Records for Reginald from the England and Wales Birth Index:
The diminutive Reggie dates from the 19th century—one of the earliest examples of Reginald "Reggie" comes from C.Reade's Love me Little, Love me Long in 1859 Later, Rex also became used as a diminutive of Reginald—presumably a play on the genitive and dative form of the Latin rex: regis and regi. A well-known example is British Hollywood actor Sir Reginald "Rex" Harrison. From 1996 to 2008, Reginald ranked below the top 1000 in England and Wales. Since then, it has seen a steady rise, peaking at #280 with 185 births in 2017. The diminutive form Reggie has had even more success, entering the top 300 in 2005 and the top 100 by 2015. It has been rising ever since. In 2018, Reginald ranked #284 with 177 births in England and Wales and #897 with 2 births in Scotland. Reggie, meanwhile, ranked at #45 (1356 births) in England Wales—its highest rank to date—and #168 (32 births) in Scotland. |
Famous Bearers: |
History: * Reginald I, Count of Burgundy (986–1057), second Count of the Free County of Burgundy. Contemporary: * Reginald Askew (1928–2012), British-Anglican priest and academic. Literature and Other Media: * Reginald "Rumty" Wilfer, a character in Charles Dickens' Our Mutual Friend (1864). |
Variants: |
Raginald (Old Germanic) Reinald, Reynaud (Norman) Reynold (Middle English) Reginald (Latinised) Ronald (Scottish) Rheinallt (Welsh) Raghnall (Irish & Scottish Gaelic) Reino (Finnish) Renaud (French) Reinhold (German) Rinaldo (Italian) Reinaldo, Reynaldo, Ronaldo (Spanish & Portuguese) |
Pronunciation: |
REJ-i-nəld [key] |
Possible diminutives: |
Reg, Reggie, Rex |
Sibling Names: |
Constance April Georgina Millicent Audrey Emmeline |
Name Lists: |
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Thanks to Meghan for requesting this name.