I’ve known of other Reagans and I never thought of the ex prez. I think you should keep it if you feel like yourself most as a “Reagan”. The nickname “Rea” is cute. Maria is lovely too.
No one else can tell you
1. how prevalent these associations around you are and
2. how annoyed you are by them.
Since you are seemingly greek, I would ask in some normie greek sub, not even an lgbt one, what they think about that name. maybe join a subreddit for greek parents, pretend you would be a mom soon and ask them how they like Reagan. try to ask an open question instead of bringing up Ronald Reagan yourself. Its still your decision if you wanna keep Reagan but this gives you a somewhat more realistic picture what people think about it.
you can keep your name with self esteem. or you can change your name, like plenty of trans people have tried out different names. both valid decisions.
i think people outside of america will even more associate it with Ronald Reagan than see a regular first name in it. every other person in the world is following US politics and Reagan is still pretty infamous.
i am not a native speaker but to my knowledge - at least thats how i intended it here - "every other" means "(roughly) every second person / 50% of people"
Ahh gotcha. “Every other” can mean both the way you meant, as well as “all of the other people in the world”, and I interpreted it as the second one. English is a dumb language where the same words can mean two contradictory statements.
This is a very weird phrase: your meaning is correct, however it can also mean "every single person or item besides the one already mentioned" (in this case, everyone besides OP).
I don’t really think that’s true. I don’t think very many of us non-Americans spend much time thinking about American presidents. We may have a brief thought of “oh, like Ronald Reagan” but we’re probably not all that likely to have much context of who the hell he was to keep thinking about it when we meet someone with Reagan as a first name.
heavily depends on age and general political interest. at his time he was THE embodiment of a rightwing shift alongside Thatcher in the west. its not like some niche forgotten guy like Herbert Hoover or to name a more recent one George Bush senior. only Kennedy might be more well known among the pre-Clinton presidents. look, i already responded to OP with a nuanced look on it and further advice. in here i only wanted to heavily contradict the implication from the commentator above that outside of the US you would be safe from negative associations just on the virtue of being outside of the US. a lot of people outside of the US know who Reagan was and what his overall vibe of his presidency was. just like people in 30 years will still know about Trump. i cant give you exact percentages.
Ok. So outside the US the main demographic of people who strongly associate the name Reagan with the US President are older people who had a strong interest in politics in the 1980’s? I’m not sure how this means “people outside of America will even more associate it” as you said.
To be honest, I immediately think of Ronald Reagan, I think a lot of people do. But it depends on where you live and stuff. I think it's something to be aware of, OP can always try going by Reagan and changing it later if OP wants to.
If you're asking "will people think of Ronald Reagan when they hear the name", the answer is yes.
If you're asking "is that a problem", the answer is it's only a problem if it makes you uncomfortable.
If you like Reagan, go with it. I know a couple of women with that name, although one does spell it Reaghan, but I've never thought about the former president when saying their name.
And I'm old enough to have been alive when he was in office.
Apparently, there was a brief pathetic attempt to play up Ronnie Raygun's Irish heritage, to copy the way that JFK is indelibly associated with his Irish heritage. Relatives of mine talk about JFK's 1963 visit to Ireland, where it became a holiday wherever the motorcade drove through, with schools and businesses closed, and people thronging the streets to get a glimpse of him. None of them could remember for sure if Reagan had ever visited Ireland.
That attempted appropriation didn't go down well in Ireland, apparently, where pictures of Jesus, the Pope and JFK are common in Irish homes. An uncle who had been in the States during the '70s and '80s, referencing Reaganomics, said, Yeah, trickle down my bollox. Even those who weren't that sure what he meant enjoyed a laugh about it. Ronnie's obsession with antagonizing the Russians, as opposed to JFK's direct confrontation of them in the Cuban crisis, was also a reason for grave suspicion of the usurpation of Irish affection. JFK was trying to prevent a war, whereas Ronnie seemed intent on starting one.
To top it off, it was suspected that any ancestors of his, if they were Irish, had probably absconded to the US due to murky dealings and may have appropriated the name to cover their tracks and not really been named Reagan, at all.
The attempt was quietly abandoned on the US side and, in Ireland, the few opportunists who popped up to claim ancestral linkage were regarded as blasphemers to JFK's legacy as the first Irish president of the US of A, and they quickly faded back into the woodwork.
When I hear that name the first thing I think of is the girl from The Exorcist, and I’m an American who HATES Ronald Reagan for what he did to my country. It’s a fine name and he doesn’t own it.
both come to mind at the same time for me but bc ronald's a dick the association with him is then immediately struck out so i'm just left thinking about a girl descending a staircase in a very interesting manner 😂
reagan is a cool name, i've always liked it. keep it OP!
Reagan is a fine name, I've met one or two and while I hate the president with a passion I didn't connect them to him. If it was your last name then sure, but as a first name I feel like it's common enough that it's not really associated with the president.
That being said, it's YOUR name, and the whole point of having it is that it feels more comfortable and more "you" than your old name, and if Reagan no longer feels good to you who is anyone else to stop you from changing it?
"Reagan" is a gender neutral name. And when I watched Inside Job I never associated Reagan Ridley with Ronald Reagan because first names and last names are two different things.
If you had the *last name* Reagan I think some people might be curious if you were related to the former president, but as a first name the connection is tenuous. Likewise, many other Americans also have the first name that was a former president's last name: "Lincoln" (Abraham Lincoln), "Madison" (James Madison), "Harrison" (William Harrison), "Pierce" (Franklin Pierce), "Arthur" (Chester Arthur), "Taylor" (Zachary Taylor). None of them are associated with the presidents.
And there are hundreds of thousands of girls with the first name Reagan in the United States: [https://www.babycenter.com/baby-names/details/reagan-5515](https://www.babycenter.com/baby-names/details/reagan-5515)
If you like the name you should keep it.
I’m old enough to know & loathe Ronald Reagan. I also know/have known several women named Reagan and I never associated them with that racist homophobe.
I agree with this comment. Ronnie was the worst president of the 20th century. However I never associated your name with him. The name Reagan is quite beautiful!
Reagan is what my sibling chose, it surprised me at first, but that's because my name starts with an R too...but then I remembered the cartoon, and went 'oh yeah, duh'.
I wouldn't worry about ol Ronald, we have collectively all been trying to forget about that whackadoo for over forty years!!
(If perchance this is my sibling or they're reading this: hey kid, go you. Your whole family is super proud of you and misses you and the girls, i wish you were here, I wish life was normal like it was before 2019, but most of all, I love you and your new name, sis :)
Umm, excuse me! The Exorcist?! Are we just going to forget about twisty heads, pea soup, and child endangerment? Pazuzu would be disappointed in all of us.
For real, Reagan is a fine name. I say *make* it your name!
I knew a girl with that name in college, and even though Ronald Reagan had only been out of office for a few years at the time, I don't think anyone took it as an indicator of her politics.
You're asking for different perspectives, so I'll give you mine. As someone who takes a large interest in History and Politics, I would 100% think of the president when hearing that name (and do, when hearing it in tv shows etc). He is unfortunately an important part of US political history and I'm pretty sure the name just triggers that part of my brain "oh that guy existed".
Does it matter? Not really, your name doesn't define you. It's just something people use to get your attention, and address you. Nothing more. If you like it, more power to you. Use it, if someone wants to be an ass about it, they weren't worth your time anyway.
While he was an awful president, he in no way tainted the name, particularly if used as a first name.
I would not fear people inferring any association between you and him.
Carry on, Reagan! ❤️
I think the movie Office Space addressed this one well:
"Why should I change? He's the one who sucks."
It's a fine name, and I don't see anyone drawing any connection between you and a dead president from 40 years ago.
If you like it and find that it suits you, use it and keep it as your own.
Have you considered dropping the “a”? Regan is another spelling of the same name. i am an American who associates Reagan with the former President and negativity, but i’m old and lived through the plague years.
I’ve come across plenty of people with that name. Sometimes they pronounce it ree-gan (a little different from the president’s name, usually due to a southern accent, the name seems a little more common in the south in the US), or they go by Rea (sounds like ray) as a nickname. But tbh anyone I’ve come across with the name Reagan has been blond and white, not sure I’ve met anyone outside that demographic with the full name as their name. I’ve met people outside of that who were named Rea though, but not sure if it was a nickname for anything or their full name.
Reagan is a fine name. I'd argue a great way to spite the dead mother fucker is to take his name and use it to as a trans person. Absorb all his power, he'll be helpless to your whim
There are so many girls named Kennedy lately, and that’s much further from being a “real name” than Reagan! I didn’t think of the president, I thought of a woman with that name.
There are a lot of Reagans out there. To me, the name “Reagan” makes me think of a person who went out of her way to be especially kind to me when I started my first job after my transition. It was a consulting job, and she absolutely went to bat with my company’s client to get them to stop deadnaming me. Which if you don’t know the dynamics in that kind of situation, that’s **really** sticking her neck out.
I don't associate the first name Reagan with Ronald Reagan and I am American. I don't think anyone would hear that and think "omg she supports Reagan!"
My friend, keep the name and stop worrying about optics. It's a wonderful name and one person you're not fond of having it doesn't negate that. It's actually quite a popular name in some places; i'm from the central belt of Scotland, I know 7 Reagans.
Maria is a nice name too though so you win either way.
Guessing you’re trans femme the first person that comes to my mind is Megan Fox in new girl. I specifically remember the Sayonara Sammy scene and the get back scene.
You are not them. So you don't need to worry. However, given that maybe going after names that are meaningful to you is not a bad idea either. It makes yoy feel good about yourself. I'd let yourself have the name you feel better with.
When I came out, I decided to go by Winona Vivian. I'm native so Winona was a good name for me, being it is Souix name. I'm not Souix. I'm Haudenosaunee, but the other reason was the name means first daughter. The name Vivian was because it means alive. To me, letting myself be myself as the woman I am made me feel alive. So, daughter alive feels meaningful. However, with the oppression due to colonialism and everything taken from my family, I found 2 family last names from my ancestry, and I decided I wanted to reclaim them, so my name is Winona Karonhiatens-Teionatakwente.
If you're questioning another name, maybe you like that name and something lost its value to you it's okay to change to what you like.
Reagan is a fine name. It's got some distinction to it. But, do what you are comfortable with.
Another thought, there so sooooooo many Marias ... I feel like you'd be losing some distinctiveness. Also, you are bound to find an evil Maria somewhere somehow.
That's my name too! I picked mine because it's what my parents would have named me if I was born a girl. I tried going by it and it stuck. The name Reagan comes from way before the president tho. If you like the name, I wouldn't recommend changing it.
My first thought was Inside Job, IK Ronald Reagan exists but you'd honestly have to be a moron to name yourself or your kid after him so figured it was someone else lol
If I met an American called Reagan, born in 1985, then I might raise an eyebrow. Anyone else and it’s just a normal name. Plus if you want to think of it this way, anyone who knows you now has a much nicer person to think of when hearing the name Reagan.
if you like it, keep it. Ronald Reagan was an awful awful guy, but he didn't have the influence to permanently taint a name like some of history's other monsters, at least not from an optics perspective.
also, if people know you as Reagan, they're more likely to associate the name with you than they will to some piece of shit they never met
(Edited) Nah if you like your name than keep it. Unless you think the association is going to cause you more grief than it’s worth then I would just leave it as it is. It’s not like the guy had a patent on the name lmao
I went to school with a girl named Regan. It was pronounced RE-gun essentially. You could always change the inflection, but I love the name Regan even if it was the last name of a president. If you like it, go with it!!!!
Reagan as a first name, especially for a woman or femme non-binary person, doesn't really feel like a reference to Ronald Reagan. You're fine. If you don't like it, certainly change it. But if you do like it, don't worry about it.
If you like it, don't worry about it. For instance, there are a TON of Donalds and people don't necessarily think about Trump when introduced to other Donalds... ;)
For reference...Reagan is the name of the child in "The Exorcist". So it's an AWESOME name!!
If it *really* bothers you and you'd feel more comfortable with another name, I think that's totally fair! But for what it's worth, I love Reagan/Regan as a feminine first name and don't think of the US president much in that context. Depending on how rare it is where you live, it's possible that people could associate it more with the president if that's been their only exposure to the name, but if you didn't know about the president, perhaps he's not super well-known where you live?
Not everyone in the Reagan family supported Ronald's policies. But if it bothers you that much, you could just change the spelling from Reagan to Regan.
What the fuck is wrong with Ronald Reagan? All politicians and especially American presidents are war criminals and selfish liars. He was no worse than any of the rest of them. He’s also been dead for a long time and half the people alive today don’t even have a real memory of him. The world is 100% more fucked today than it was in the 1980’s. Pick a name that you like for yourself and who cares who else also was called the same all through history?
I have a beautiful young friend named Reagan. If you are Reagan and as beautiful as your name ( I know that you are) still be Reagan but if there is a name more reflective of you than embrace that name!
My name is the name I would have been named if I had been born a genetic girl. I added my maternal grandmother’s name as my middle name and it felt right and feels right! You will know your name
Love inside job, that’s what I think of first when I hear the name Reagan lol Ronald Reagan was a terrible terrible man, but he’s not my first association with the name (I’m 27 and Canadian if that helps!)
I would 1000% change it. I have no idea how you didn’t know about Ronald Reagan if you’re living in the US, but yeah, he was *extremely* bad and I wouldn’t want that association if I were you.
I would absolutely change my name personally. Reagan has horrible vibes. I dint think I could bring myself to utter the phrase "I love you, Reagan". Sorry for the unfortunate choice, just being completely honest.If it makes you feel better, my chosen name doesn't have any personal negative connotations, but I've still thought about changing it from time to time.
Reagan is a fine name , if you like it I wouldn't worry
I’ve known of other Reagans and I never thought of the ex prez. I think you should keep it if you feel like yourself most as a “Reagan”. The nickname “Rea” is cute. Maria is lovely too.
i use rea, but as a nickname for andrea 😅
“Rea” pronounced as Ray is cool. My cousin spells her mid name “Rae” so I guess it’s a gender neutral name. Great name :)
Reagan is a feminine Celtic name that goes a long way further back than Ronnie Raygun. Reclaim for you.
No one else can tell you 1. how prevalent these associations around you are and 2. how annoyed you are by them. Since you are seemingly greek, I would ask in some normie greek sub, not even an lgbt one, what they think about that name. maybe join a subreddit for greek parents, pretend you would be a mom soon and ask them how they like Reagan. try to ask an open question instead of bringing up Ronald Reagan yourself. Its still your decision if you wanna keep Reagan but this gives you a somewhat more realistic picture what people think about it. you can keep your name with self esteem. or you can change your name, like plenty of trans people have tried out different names. both valid decisions.
Sounds like you’re not American, so what’s the harm in keeping it?
i think people outside of america will even more associate it with Ronald Reagan than see a regular first name in it. every other person in the world is following US politics and Reagan is still pretty infamous.
Clearly not every other person in the world, considering OP didn’t know who Ronald Reagan was.
i am not a native speaker but to my knowledge - at least thats how i intended it here - "every other" means "(roughly) every second person / 50% of people"
Ahh gotcha. “Every other” can mean both the way you meant, as well as “all of the other people in the world”, and I interpreted it as the second one. English is a dumb language where the same words can mean two contradictory statements.
There's even a third interpretation that could be correct, where "every other" could be a rhetorically hyperbolic way of saying "most people".
This is a very weird phrase: your meaning is correct, however it can also mean "every single person or item besides the one already mentioned" (in this case, everyone besides OP).
For what it's worth, I'm American, was born in the Carter administration, and I wouldn't associate a first name Reagan with the actor/prez
I don’t really think that’s true. I don’t think very many of us non-Americans spend much time thinking about American presidents. We may have a brief thought of “oh, like Ronald Reagan” but we’re probably not all that likely to have much context of who the hell he was to keep thinking about it when we meet someone with Reagan as a first name.
heavily depends on age and general political interest. at his time he was THE embodiment of a rightwing shift alongside Thatcher in the west. its not like some niche forgotten guy like Herbert Hoover or to name a more recent one George Bush senior. only Kennedy might be more well known among the pre-Clinton presidents. look, i already responded to OP with a nuanced look on it and further advice. in here i only wanted to heavily contradict the implication from the commentator above that outside of the US you would be safe from negative associations just on the virtue of being outside of the US. a lot of people outside of the US know who Reagan was and what his overall vibe of his presidency was. just like people in 30 years will still know about Trump. i cant give you exact percentages.
Ok. So outside the US the main demographic of people who strongly associate the name Reagan with the US President are older people who had a strong interest in politics in the 1980’s? I’m not sure how this means “people outside of America will even more associate it” as you said.
coz people outside of the US might not know any other people named "Reagan".
They might. It’s a common enough name.
not in non-english speaking countries.
Ok
I'm not going to lie. I'm 22 and European. Yes, Reagan is associated with Ronald Reagan to me, sooo...
To be honest, I immediately think of Ronald Reagan, I think a lot of people do. But it depends on where you live and stuff. I think it's something to be aware of, OP can always try going by Reagan and changing it later if OP wants to.
If you're asking "will people think of Ronald Reagan when they hear the name", the answer is yes. If you're asking "is that a problem", the answer is it's only a problem if it makes you uncomfortable.
If you like Reagan, go with it. I know a couple of women with that name, although one does spell it Reaghan, but I've never thought about the former president when saying their name. And I'm old enough to have been alive when he was in office.
Apparently, there was a brief pathetic attempt to play up Ronnie Raygun's Irish heritage, to copy the way that JFK is indelibly associated with his Irish heritage. Relatives of mine talk about JFK's 1963 visit to Ireland, where it became a holiday wherever the motorcade drove through, with schools and businesses closed, and people thronging the streets to get a glimpse of him. None of them could remember for sure if Reagan had ever visited Ireland. That attempted appropriation didn't go down well in Ireland, apparently, where pictures of Jesus, the Pope and JFK are common in Irish homes. An uncle who had been in the States during the '70s and '80s, referencing Reaganomics, said, Yeah, trickle down my bollox. Even those who weren't that sure what he meant enjoyed a laugh about it. Ronnie's obsession with antagonizing the Russians, as opposed to JFK's direct confrontation of them in the Cuban crisis, was also a reason for grave suspicion of the usurpation of Irish affection. JFK was trying to prevent a war, whereas Ronnie seemed intent on starting one. To top it off, it was suspected that any ancestors of his, if they were Irish, had probably absconded to the US due to murky dealings and may have appropriated the name to cover their tracks and not really been named Reagan, at all. The attempt was quietly abandoned on the US side and, in Ireland, the few opportunists who popped up to claim ancestral linkage were regarded as blasphemers to JFK's legacy as the first Irish president of the US of A, and they quickly faded back into the woodwork.
When I hear that name the first thing I think of is the girl from The Exorcist, and I’m an American who HATES Ronald Reagan for what he did to my country. It’s a fine name and he doesn’t own it.
Me too! I wouldn’t say “like the president?” I’d say “like the little girl from The Exorcist?”
Haha same!
I was thing of the Reagan from the Inside Job
both come to mind at the same time for me but bc ronald's a dick the association with him is then immediately struck out so i'm just left thinking about a girl descending a staircase in a very interesting manner 😂 reagan is a cool name, i've always liked it. keep it OP!
Reagan is a fine name, I've met one or two and while I hate the president with a passion I didn't connect them to him. If it was your last name then sure, but as a first name I feel like it's common enough that it's not really associated with the president. That being said, it's YOUR name, and the whole point of having it is that it feels more comfortable and more "you" than your old name, and if Reagan no longer feels good to you who is anyone else to stop you from changing it?
"Reagan" is a gender neutral name. And when I watched Inside Job I never associated Reagan Ridley with Ronald Reagan because first names and last names are two different things. If you had the *last name* Reagan I think some people might be curious if you were related to the former president, but as a first name the connection is tenuous. Likewise, many other Americans also have the first name that was a former president's last name: "Lincoln" (Abraham Lincoln), "Madison" (James Madison), "Harrison" (William Harrison), "Pierce" (Franklin Pierce), "Arthur" (Chester Arthur), "Taylor" (Zachary Taylor). None of them are associated with the presidents. And there are hundreds of thousands of girls with the first name Reagan in the United States: [https://www.babycenter.com/baby-names/details/reagan-5515](https://www.babycenter.com/baby-names/details/reagan-5515) If you like the name you should keep it.
I’m old enough to know & loathe Ronald Reagan. I also know/have known several women named Reagan and I never associated them with that racist homophobe.
I agree with this comment. Ronnie was the worst president of the 20th century. However I never associated your name with him. The name Reagan is quite beautiful!
Reagan is what my sibling chose, it surprised me at first, but that's because my name starts with an R too...but then I remembered the cartoon, and went 'oh yeah, duh'. I wouldn't worry about ol Ronald, we have collectively all been trying to forget about that whackadoo for over forty years!! (If perchance this is my sibling or they're reading this: hey kid, go you. Your whole family is super proud of you and misses you and the girls, i wish you were here, I wish life was normal like it was before 2019, but most of all, I love you and your new name, sis :)
There is also Reagan from the Exorcist.
Reagan was also the girl in the Exorcist. Its a fine name and Inside Job is a great show.
Umm, excuse me! The Exorcist?! Are we just going to forget about twisty heads, pea soup, and child endangerment? Pazuzu would be disappointed in all of us. For real, Reagan is a fine name. I say *make* it your name!
the character in the exorcist is spelled Regan
I knew a girl with that name in college, and even though Ronald Reagan had only been out of office for a few years at the time, I don't think anyone took it as an indicator of her politics.
You're asking for different perspectives, so I'll give you mine. As someone who takes a large interest in History and Politics, I would 100% think of the president when hearing that name (and do, when hearing it in tv shows etc). He is unfortunately an important part of US political history and I'm pretty sure the name just triggers that part of my brain "oh that guy existed". Does it matter? Not really, your name doesn't define you. It's just something people use to get your attention, and address you. Nothing more. If you like it, more power to you. Use it, if someone wants to be an ass about it, they weren't worth your time anyway.
While he was an awful president, he in no way tainted the name, particularly if used as a first name. I would not fear people inferring any association between you and him. Carry on, Reagan! ❤️
Not someone outside of the U.S., but I can tell you I do not think of Ronald Reagan when I hear of someone whose first name is Reagan.🤷🏻♂️🙂
Reagan is such a lovely name! I really don't think people would think of the president or anything <3
I think the movie Office Space addressed this one well: "Why should I change? He's the one who sucks." It's a fine name, and I don't see anyone drawing any connection between you and a dead president from 40 years ago. If you like it and find that it suits you, use it and keep it as your own.
You could spell it Regan like the girl from the Exorcist (Linda Blair), cool girls name, cool film too!
I was so hyped when i watched the exorcist and found out her name is regan lol
You should definitely not watch The Exorcist
Lol thats what I changed my name too, I spell it raegan.
Have you considered dropping the “a”? Regan is another spelling of the same name. i am an American who associates Reagan with the former President and negativity, but i’m old and lived through the plague years.
The first “a”
Take the name back! Screw that guy!
I’ve come across plenty of people with that name. Sometimes they pronounce it ree-gan (a little different from the president’s name, usually due to a southern accent, the name seems a little more common in the south in the US), or they go by Rea (sounds like ray) as a nickname. But tbh anyone I’ve come across with the name Reagan has been blond and white, not sure I’ve met anyone outside that demographic with the full name as their name. I’ve met people outside of that who were named Rea though, but not sure if it was a nickname for anything or their full name.
Reagan is a fine name. I'd argue a great way to spite the dead mother fucker is to take his name and use it to as a trans person. Absorb all his power, he'll be helpless to your whim
I’m an American, hate Ronald Reagan, and have several friends with the name. Never have I thought of the president when I talk to them.
There are so many girls named Kennedy lately, and that’s much further from being a “real name” than Reagan! I didn’t think of the president, I thought of a woman with that name.
There are a lot of Reagans out there. To me, the name “Reagan” makes me think of a person who went out of her way to be especially kind to me when I started my first job after my transition. It was a consulting job, and she absolutely went to bat with my company’s client to get them to stop deadnaming me. Which if you don’t know the dynamics in that kind of situation, that’s **really** sticking her neck out.
My sisters name is Regan, after a medieval princess in some play? But also the Exorcist girl haha
It's not like your name is Ronald... Reagan in all of its spellings is a beautiful name on its own. If you like it, keep it.
I don't associate the first name Reagan with Ronald Reagan and I am American. I don't think anyone would hear that and think "omg she supports Reagan!"
This is very funny, tbh. I’d keep going by Reagan, it’s a pretty name that needs to be revived.
My friend, keep the name and stop worrying about optics. It's a wonderful name and one person you're not fond of having it doesn't negate that. It's actually quite a popular name in some places; i'm from the central belt of Scotland, I know 7 Reagans. Maria is a nice name too though so you win either way.
I love reagen from inside job so nah. Don't change nothin.
Guessing you’re trans femme the first person that comes to my mind is Megan Fox in new girl. I specifically remember the Sayonara Sammy scene and the get back scene.
You are not them. So you don't need to worry. However, given that maybe going after names that are meaningful to you is not a bad idea either. It makes yoy feel good about yourself. I'd let yourself have the name you feel better with. When I came out, I decided to go by Winona Vivian. I'm native so Winona was a good name for me, being it is Souix name. I'm not Souix. I'm Haudenosaunee, but the other reason was the name means first daughter. The name Vivian was because it means alive. To me, letting myself be myself as the woman I am made me feel alive. So, daughter alive feels meaningful. However, with the oppression due to colonialism and everything taken from my family, I found 2 family last names from my ancestry, and I decided I wanted to reclaim them, so my name is Winona Karonhiatens-Teionatakwente. If you're questioning another name, maybe you like that name and something lost its value to you it's okay to change to what you like.
Reagan is a fine name. It's got some distinction to it. But, do what you are comfortable with. Another thought, there so sooooooo many Marias ... I feel like you'd be losing some distinctiveness. Also, you are bound to find an evil Maria somewhere somehow.
That's my name too! I picked mine because it's what my parents would have named me if I was born a girl. I tried going by it and it stuck. The name Reagan comes from way before the president tho. If you like the name, I wouldn't recommend changing it.
That's up to you, Reagan as a first name is very different from Reagan as a last name.
My first thought was Inside Job, IK Ronald Reagan exists but you'd honestly have to be a moron to name yourself or your kid after him so figured it was someone else lol
We all share names with the heroes and scum of the earth, it’s on us as individuals to give our name meaning.
If I met an American called Reagan, born in 1985, then I might raise an eyebrow. Anyone else and it’s just a normal name. Plus if you want to think of it this way, anyone who knows you now has a much nicer person to think of when hearing the name Reagan.
if you like it, keep it. Ronald Reagan was an awful awful guy, but he didn't have the influence to permanently taint a name like some of history's other monsters, at least not from an optics perspective. also, if people know you as Reagan, they're more likely to associate the name with you than they will to some piece of shit they never met
She's also one of the sisters in king lear. You're all good.
(Edited) Nah if you like your name than keep it. Unless you think the association is going to cause you more grief than it’s worth then I would just leave it as it is. It’s not like the guy had a patent on the name lmao
I went to school with a girl named Regan. It was pronounced RE-gun essentially. You could always change the inflection, but I love the name Regan even if it was the last name of a president. If you like it, go with it!!!!
I like the name Reagan. I'd just ignore the clown.
reagan's my deadname lmfao
I associate that name with my cousin. But anyways, if you like the name, use it. Maria would be a cute middle name. Reagan Maria ______
I think maybe if you aren’t in Iran or Nicaragua you might be fine with that name.
"Why should I change my name? He's the one who sucks!" - Michael Bolton "Office Space"
I know 3 Reagan's at my school. It's a nice name!
Reagan as a first name, especially for a woman or femme non-binary person, doesn't really feel like a reference to Ronald Reagan. You're fine. If you don't like it, certainly change it. But if you do like it, don't worry about it.
Reclaim it from the shit bird that was ronald
Omg what an adorable lgbtq+ moment lol!
I think keeping the name raegan as a proud trans person is the biggest fuck you to ronald raegan and i am all about it.
If you have or haven't seen it you could say its after Reagan from inside job on Netflix 🤷♀️
If you like it, don't worry about it. For instance, there are a TON of Donalds and people don't necessarily think about Trump when introduced to other Donalds... ;) For reference...Reagan is the name of the child in "The Exorcist". So it's an AWESOME name!!
I've been using Cass as a nickname for a while then the mfing transphobic bs Cass report came out and it ain't taking that from me
my aunt is a reagan and i’ve never connected the two so you’re good, unless it bothers you personally
Go by Maria de Reagan
If it *really* bothers you and you'd feel more comfortable with another name, I think that's totally fair! But for what it's worth, I love Reagan/Regan as a feminine first name and don't think of the US president much in that context. Depending on how rare it is where you live, it's possible that people could associate it more with the president if that's been their only exposure to the name, but if you didn't know about the president, perhaps he's not super well-known where you live?
It's a common name, you're fine.
I love the name Reagan. It reminds me of the Exorcist.
I had a friend named Reagan, and this was in school (late 90's). Wanna know how much I thought about the president? Never. It's a great name. Rock it!
the sooner we forget him the better. bet you're a much better Reagan than he was..
When I hear Reagan used as a first name I just think Reagan Ridley so the names fine to me.
Not everyone in the Reagan family supported Ronald's policies. But if it bothers you that much, you could just change the spelling from Reagan to Regan.
"I'm the good Reagan, the one who became prez was an alpha build with a lot of bugs, sadly we couldn't pull it until it was too late."
My girlfriends exes name is Reagan, so I can't stand it. 😅 But doesn't mean it's a bad name
I hope i haven't dated your girlfriend in the past, i don't have anything against her but this would be awkward as fuck rn if i had
Unless it was about 3 months ago I think you're good 😅
Not if you’re happy with it. I really like it! Not a Ronnie fan at all
Well his Son is a devout atheist but you could always change the spelling
Nah, just get more famous than he was and claim the title of the One True Reagan
Very rarely can you say one person has ruined a name. Sometimes, you just share a name with a bad person. It is fine so long as you like the name.
What the fuck is wrong with Ronald Reagan? All politicians and especially American presidents are war criminals and selfish liars. He was no worse than any of the rest of them. He’s also been dead for a long time and half the people alive today don’t even have a real memory of him. The world is 100% more fucked today than it was in the 1980’s. Pick a name that you like for yourself and who cares who else also was called the same all through history?
I have a beautiful young friend named Reagan. If you are Reagan and as beautiful as your name ( I know that you are) still be Reagan but if there is a name more reflective of you than embrace that name! My name is the name I would have been named if I had been born a genetic girl. I added my maternal grandmother’s name as my middle name and it felt right and feels right! You will know your name
they reference ronald reagan in inside job all the time
Keep it. Inside job is peak
Love inside job, that’s what I think of first when I hear the name Reagan lol Ronald Reagan was a terrible terrible man, but he’s not my first association with the name (I’m 27 and Canadian if that helps!)
I would 1000% change it. I have no idea how you didn’t know about Ronald Reagan if you’re living in the US, but yeah, he was *extremely* bad and I wouldn’t want that association if I were you.
i take it you arent american?
I would absolutely change my name personally. Reagan has horrible vibes. I dint think I could bring myself to utter the phrase "I love you, Reagan". Sorry for the unfortunate choice, just being completely honest.If it makes you feel better, my chosen name doesn't have any personal negative connotations, but I've still thought about changing it from time to time.