Wednesday’s post set off a bit of a flurry of comments section about the possible political nature of the name Reagan, and whether that association was positive or negative. Many of us are interested to know if the associations (the political ones and also the positive/negative ones) are tied to age, political affiliation, and location.
I thought about making a poll that would take all that into account, but just imagine the size of it: even if we limited it to age and location, age x location is a lot of poll options. Polls work best if they ask one basic question: as soon as we try to make them answer two or more questions (especially if either/both of those questions have many possible answers), we run into trouble.
Besides, although it would be interesting to know how a person’s age or politics or home state affected their feelings about a name, that isn’t really what we want to know on a baby name blog: what we want to know is how the name will be perceived by the population at large. We don’t necessarily care what issues are behind the reasons individual strangers feel the way they do: what we want to know is whether that feeling is likely to be held by a large majority, a slim majority, a minority, a very small minority, etc., and how it might affect a person with that name. ANY name will have a bad association for at least a very small minority of people (“Ug, that’s my ex’s name,” “I had a bad co-worker/teacher/classmate with that name,” “That was the name of our town’s petty criminal”), so what we want to know is if the level of bad association has reached the point where we no longer feel we want our child to have to deal with that association.
Another question to ask is whether the general public would transfer that negative association to the person with the name. If a child is given the name of my terrible ex-boyfriend or a city/actor/celebrity/politician I hate, it might give me a little flinch—but do I have a long-term negative impression of the CHILD and his FAMILY, or not? This will vary all the way from “Absolutely” to “Absolutely not,” and it deals with the future predicted feelings of strangers so it’s not a question with an actual answer. The purpose of the exercise is to get a feeling for how serious we think the particular issue might be: to get an idea of the extremes, first try asking it of yourself with the name John (or any very common name), and then with the name Adolf. Try it with the name of a politician you admire, and with the name of a politician you can’t stand. Try it with the name of an author/actor you admire, and then with the name of one you can’t stand. My guess is that you will come away from this exercise with two feelings: (1) “Boy, there is just NO WAY to know whether it will affect the child: people feel so differently about different names/associations!” and (2) “But I feel more certain about some names than about others.”
So here is what we will do. We will have a poll that asks only one question: whether the specific association of former U.S. president Ronald Reagan affects the poll-voter’s feelings about the name Reagan positively, negatively, or neutrally. If people would like to leave further information in the comments about how they believe their age, politics, interests, or location affected their vote, they may.
I don’t think it would be productive or useful, however, to turn this into a detailed discussion of Ronald Reagan’s presidency or personality. This is a baby name blog, and what we are interested in here is not his presidency or personality per se, but only how it affects the current usage of a name that was his famous surname. I suggest that mentions of Ronald-Reagan-related like/dislike or agreement/disagreement be limited to the existence and strength of those feelings, without the details of precisely which policies or actions or traits contributed to those feelings. I also suggest that as much as possible we speak only for ourselves, rather than for others in our area, age range, social circle, or political group.
I put “neutrally,” but actually my feelings are slightly more complicated. Lately, when I’ve seen people considering the name it’s been a for a girl, and in that case, I rarely think about the president. Particularly since often the name is pronounced Ree-gan, in which case the association is totally gone for me. The much stronger association for me then is the character Regan in King Lear. But even pronounced Ray-gun, on a girl I don’t really think of the president.
However, if I met a little boy named Reagan, I think the association with the president would much stronger. I would be much more likely to assume that the parents had Ronald in mind when naming. It’s not an overwhelmingly negative association, but I would start kind of pondering their political leanings and so forth. I’m 28, by the way, so I don’t have any Ronald Reagan-era memories.
It occurs to me that the same is true for the name Kennedy – I don’t think of the president at all when it’s used for a girl, but if I met a little boy Kennedy I would assume it was a JFK tribute.
I agree wholeheartedly with everything in this comment. Except, I am 26.
I voted neutral, and I was also going to mention King Lear. And because of its meaning, I always tend to think of Reagan as a rather regal girl’s name before I ever think of the president. I don’t have a particularly positive association with the president (I’m 36), but I’ve already long separated the name from those feelings. I also think it helps that I think of most presidents by both names.
I thought about what I might feel to encounter a little boy named Nixon, and even in this case, with the strong culturally negative associations with that name, I wouldn’t flinch at it.
I choose neutrally because I wouldn’t have associated the name with the president in the first instance. This could be because I am not American but I don’t know
I named my daughter Reagan and it had nothing to do with the President. But if someone asks how to spell it, I sometimes say, “like the President.” Or when I joke around with her, I call her Ronald. I don’ think even on a boy it would really connect to the President for me.
I think more of Regan from King Lear when I hear or see the name Reagan/Regan (maybe as a Canadian I don’t think of Ronald first). Someone did mention this on the previous post, and to me it is a strong enough negative connotation that I would not use the name. She was really a terrible daughter and sister. Although I think there are pronounced slightly differently!
I think the relevant question is less “How do you feel about Ronald Reagan” but “How would you assume the parents of a child named Reagan felt about Ronald Reagan.”
I think I would assume that they were either apolitical or conservative. I’d assume the parents of a child named Nixon were conservative. I wouldn’t assume anything at all about the parents of a child named Carter or Ford. I’d assume that the parents of a child named Bush or Johnson were crazy, but not because of politics.
“I’d assume that the parents of a child named Bush or Johnson were crazy, but not because of politics.”
LOL!
Ahahaha!
I put “strongly negative” but it hurts…. I love the sound and feel of Reagan for a girl.
But the huge Ronald Reagan association is a deal-breaker for me (regardless of my politics, it’s a big deal in the US). It doesn’t help that the next 2 associations are awful: 1) King Lear and 2) The Exorcist. Unfortunately, there’s nothing tipping things in the other direction against these 3 very strong associations.
Also– would I think that a kid named “Reagan” likely came from conservative/Republican parents? Yes, I would. Or else I would think they weren’t too thoughtful but liked the sound– which is fine. But yes, I would make the association first. Just my opinion!
This exactly!!
Me three.
I’m 28 so have no strong feelings towards Reagan though grew up in a family who did occasionally remark negatively towards Ronald. That association has been diluted for me by the blogger Reagan from hairdresser on fire, so now I actually feel pretty positively towards the name.
I’m 52 so my first opportunity to vote included an opportunity to vote for Reagan or Carter. So, I am definitely old enough to remember him and have some association with his name. However, I have none. I assume parents simply like the name Reagan, not necessarily that they’re naming their child after Ronald Reagan, so it doesn’t even register with me. I might feel differently if the name in question was not also a regular first name, like if someone named their child Nixon (as a first name) or Obama. Carter, for example, doesn’t make me think of Jimmy Carter.
It’s neutral for me. My family and the town I grew up in is very Irish, so that’s a common surname, and consequently, a very common honor first name.
I love the sound of Reagan/Regan but the main association is, like others have said, Regan from King Lear and she was truly a horrible daughter, sister, and person. Both of the associations together always make me wonder, when I meet a little Regan, what the parents were thinking.
I am very nearly 41, live in Northern CA, and my answer in the poll was informed by my politics. For the purposes of this poll I presumed a boy named Reagan and voted accordingly. If it were a girl named Regan/Reagan I would have voted differently.
I’m Canadian and I associate the name with the President. I would say it’s a negative association simply because he’s such a polarizing figure and no child should be saddled with that much baggage in their name (also not a huge fan of his politics.) I would assume that a child with this name either had parents who are conservatives or are preppy (i.e. wears a polo shirt, vacations in the Hamptons, Etc).
Just a side note, I’ve been thinking about this type of issue since the (also polarizing) Canadian Prime Minister is Stephen Harper and I’m wondering how that might impact all of those elementary school aged girls named Harper as they grow up/interact with adults.
Interesting. I’m also Canadian, 29, and the thought linking a child’s name to the president would not enter my mind (note: although I’m Canadian, I do follow American politics closely as the majority of my family live in the states). I also, would never have even paired up the baby girl name Harper to the prime minister – and trust me, I have very strong opinions on Stephen Harper.
But I do agree with a fellow commenter, I think when you change the sex of the child, Reagan or Harper or Kennedy/etc. on a female child does totally change the feel of the name vs. had it been on a male child.
I know a little girl named Reagan & never assumed anything about her name (and voted neutral). But when my DH met her, he immediately got a negative Presidential feeling from the name. Though we are good friends, I have no idea the parents true political stance. I’m not sure why they picked the name.
I’m 35 and I voted neutral.
I obviously remember the president and my and my family’s opinions on him was decidedly negative. That being said, I wouldn’t ever name my kid Reagan. But I wouldn’t have a problem with someone else naming their kid Reagan. I don’t even think I would link the two, especially if it is a girl.
I will say that if someone said they named their kid after the president (vs. just liking the name), I’d wonder how much we could have in common.
I’m 32 and I voted neutral. I get the same amount of political vibes from this name as I do from the name Kennedy–which is very little or none at all. I do think that a grown up Reagan who is outspokenly liberal might hear a lot of jokes about Reagan. That doesn’t sound like a dealbreaker to me, though.
Also, my first thought whe I hear this name is Regan from King Lear, but unlike the other commenters, I couldn’t remember if she was the good daughter or one of the horrible ones, so that reference didn’t taint the name for me.
I knew she was one of the horrible ones, and it still doesn’t affect the name for me. I think it’s a really strong name for a girl.
slightly positive. I don’t really connect it, as a gurl’s first name, to a male president’s last name. To me, it is a variation of my own name Megan.
Happy to see this post, as I love the name and was surprised by the negative response. I am 33, raised in Chicago & live on the west coast. Liberal. Think of the name as Irish or Surname or President “trend”; not political. When I think of a girl named Reagan and think of Ronald the association that comes to mind is Nancy’s amazing gowns I saw as a young girl at the Smithsonian. I think my age, whether it’s a “girl” name, and popularity of the name/type of name among my peers’ children impacts my neutral vote.
I’ve known Reagan/Regans of many different ages from kids who are peers of my own, to their teachers in classes. I just don’t strongly associate it with Ronald Reagan anymore, I see it as a name. One in that vast category of names I wouldn’t use myself but I know and recognize as a name and accept. I would/will always think of Ronald Reagan when I see it with that spelling, but I would not assume that a person was named Reagan because of him, nor would I transfer any of my political feelings. Same goes for the name Clinton and I have stronger political feelings there, but I’ve known too many Clints to think of it as anything other than a name.
I’m happy to see this poll, too! I voted neutral. I’ve always liked the name Reagan although it’s not my style, and am sad to see the negative reactions. I’m 27 and live on the west coast in a well-known liberal city. At first I was inclined to think my age was the biggest factor for me, but then I got to thinking about the name Clinton. I grew up in the Clinton-era and remember not-so-friendly remarks made by my family at home. So one would think that would influence the baby name Clinton for me, but it doesn’t. I feel the same way about Clinton as I do about Reagan, Kennedy, Carter, Lincoln, etc. They’re just names to me, of the category that is not my style, but fine on other babies.
I’m 20, New England. Personal politics lean liberal. My first association is two particularly nasty girls named Reagan and Regan. Ronald Reagan, however has no effects on my opinion of the name. In fact, my association is first with Reaganomics and the trickle down effect. If I think about it, I like the name less. But I never particularly liked it in the first place.
I answered neutral as well (I’m 26). The name Reagan used to be on my name list years ago, but my tastes have evolved and it’s no longer there. That being said, I still do enjoy the name. I agree with previous posters who put it in the surname camp vs. the political name camp. I don’t think of any president/politician when I hear first names like Tyler, Taylor, Lincoln, Jefferson, Kennedy, Carter, etc. I think part of the issue is that people shouldn’t jump to conclusions about why someone chose a name. Nixon could be a family surname, or Clinton could be the name of a beloved grandfather. I completely understand how history and pop culture can define a name for us (the name Miley evokes certain feelings from people much like any presidential names) but I’d like to think that doesn’t affect your view of the child/family.
I’m pretty neutral about the name Reagan as it relates to the former president. It was used before he was president, so it’s never really felt like a tribute name to me. My first association with it on a girl is actually the girl from The Exorcist, which is where I first encountered the name as a first name.
The only way Reagan would strike me as specifically related to the president would be if it were in a sibset of other presidential names. For example, sisters named Reagan and Kennedy or Reagan and Madison would make me think of the presidents. However, I’d consider those sibsets to be theme-y based on style and not reflections of the parent’s political beliefs.
I’m going to piggyback off this comment as I actually do know of sisters named Reagan and Kennedy. I knew them before I was really even into names, but they always sounded so presidential to me (especially as the names were known to me as male names because of the presidents and were used on girls). I don’t think it hurt either of them; they’re OK names, if not my particular style. I don’t think I would have thought “so presidential” if they had only used one or the other.
As for the politics involved, I assumed the mother was Republican because of other things, but was more unsure after Kennedy was born. I voted neutral politically in the poll because at this point, they’re just names.
Vaguely related, I knew a guy called Clinton in high school. He ended up changing his name to his always-used nickname. I always assumed that was politically motivated but don’t remember now if I had any evidence for actually thinking so.
Well, I accidentally skewed the poll results because I voted before coffee…sorry Swistle! I read “strongly positive” to mean “strong association”, when in fact it meant I had positive associations with the president….and that’s absolutely not the case. I strongly associate the name Reagan with the president, but I don’t think the association with him is a positive one. My secondary association is the similarly pronounced second daughter of King Lear (Regan), which isn’t positive either, but honestly I don’t think I would hold either association against a child. I might draw conclusions about the parents’ politics though!
Sorry to be a poll-skewer…I was just so enthusiastic to vote (yay polls!) that I didn’t read through the list -_-
I am the lone, “I can’t decide!” vote. I almost put neutral, because as a 29 year old, I have basically no memory of Ronald Reagan in office. And my feelings about Reagan are probably more positive than negative, solely because I grew up in a Republican household and my dad (who I respect) was a fan…and since I personally have not looked into Reagan’s presidency much, I’m kind of in the dark on his policies and he feels like a neutral/positive character to me. However, I am not a Republican myself, and when a very conservative friend named her son that, I did kind of roll my eyes, which makes me feel like I might have more negative feelings about the name? But like a lot of people have said, most of my associations with the name Reagan are with a girl, in which case it’s neutral. If it’s a boy, it does feel a little more like a political statement. Still, overall, I can’t decide. ;)
I put slightly negative because I hate Reagan the president (25, Maryland, USA) but I know Reagans and that doesn’t stop me from liking them or their name or their family (as long as they aren’t named in honor of Ronald Reagan, then I’d have to give it more than a pause). Hearing or seeing the name gives me pause because it brings to mind Ronald Reagan immediately.
Soon-to-be-32, bleeding heart liberal, living in Georgia, raised by Republican dad and Democrat mom…I dislike the name because (ordered from strongest feelings to less strong feelings):
1. Not my style (getting that bias out of the way now)
2. “The Exorcist”
3. The president
4. “King Lear”
Well, I voted Strongly Positive. If I met a boy Reagan, I’d assume he was named for the president, and I’d like him all the more.
The girl Reagans I’ve met made me think of King Lear. Eeesh… it’s not the best association.
When I meet a girl named Kennedy, I always wonder, “What were her parents thinking?!” Same thought with boys named Clinton. The whole womanizer thing for both is so off-putting.
But boys named Carter don’t bring to mind the president (in whose term I was born). I associate Carter with Noah Wylie’s character from ER in the 1990s. Weird.
I disagree about comparisons with Carter… For starters, Carter’s presidency was a blip, so it’s easier to forget the association. But more importantly, Carter is a very common surname… According to US Census data, it’s the 40th most common surname in the US. But Reagan doesn’t rank in the top 1000. ( http://names.mongabay.com/most_common_surnames.htm ) So, there are lots of other associations with Carter but Reagan is more Ronald-centric; he’s the only famous person I can think of with that surname.
I agree with what others have observed. A boy with this name feels like a political statement, but as a girls name its neutral. I wouldn’t pick it (King Lear) but I wouldn’t assume anything politically hearing it on someone else’s daughter. Interesting post and poll!
I didn’t vote because Ronald Reagan has no bearing at all on my opinion of the name. I’m not American. Every Reagan I’ve known has been female, and they have all been lovely, intelligent women. The only other association I ever make is to Shakespeare, and I enjoyed Lear, so it is also a positive association.
You don’t need to abstain from voting: the voting category for you is “neutrally.” That’s for if Ronald Reagan has no effect on your feelings about the the name.
I’m a baby boomer from the west coast of the U.S. The name Reagan has a STRONG association with the president for me, and the gender of the person wearing the name wouldn’t make any difference to that feeling. I would try not to make assumptions about the politics of the parents, but I’d likely fail. I’m not sure why the name “Kennedy” doesn’t have the same political association for me, but it may have something to do with “the Reagan era” and similar terms with are still commonly used and which are loaded with political meaning – either positive or negative, depending on who you are talking to. I simply wouldn’t want to put that kind of pressure? label? expectation? on a child, even if the association isn’t shared by everyone.
Yes, I agree wholeheartedly even though I’m from the “millennial” generation. There are just so many other phrases that got spun off Ronald… Reaganomics, The Reagan Era, The Reagans (Nancy was one of the more prominent first ladies of the past 50 years…). I was only alive for a year of his presidency, but I know catchphrases like “It’s morning in America…” etc. I agree the pressure is too great. I wouldn’t want it as my own name. And, thinking of the Starbucks test….I would feel so awkward introducing myself to strangers as “Reagan” in my very liberal, multicultural neighborhood.
I’m 55 and I voted neutral. However, the first Reagan I met was born in 1976 when Ronald Reagan was in the running as a Republican candidate for president. This was before it was popular for girls to have gender neutral names. It was obvious that this little girl’s name was triggered by Ronald Reagan and little did the parents know how on the cutting edge were with her name! Now, almost 40 years later, with the increased popularity of Reagan, I never think of the ex-president.
Reagan is my maiden so I certainly don’t associate it with the former President. To me, it is like any other surname name.
I voted slightly negative. I’m 45, and don’t like any of the big associations with the name: the President (I live near DC and they even changed the name of the airport for him!); the character in Lear; the exorcist.
I wouldn’t necessarily assume the parents were political, mostly because I know many Madisons and Kennedys and Clintons and Carters, but still.
This is one of those names that is tricky and I can see how some people may have those issues. At the same time, I love the name and really don’t think about it belonging to the Reagan. Then again I was a kid when he was in office and never really thought about presidents in general until Clinton. My cousin named her daughter Regan in 1997 and she got a few comments from older relatives. However for her, it was a unisex name and had nothing to do with anything but her loving it. Her other girls are Morgan and Bailey. Regan just sort of fit.
I wouldn’t automatically assume that a Reagan’s parents were politically conservative, but I would assume they didn’t have strong negative associations with the name due to the President. So either conservative or apolitical.
I would never use it because it does remind me of the President, which just skews it from being appropriate on a little girl, besides also just being not my style, but I don’t automatically assume anything about a child named Reagan. After all, he or she didn’t pick their name.
I chose neutrally, but really I don’t associate the name with the former president. I knew a girl in college named Reagan and I am young enough not to have any memories of President Reagan, so for me the name is not very presidential at all. It just reminds me of a girl I used to know.
I voted “Neutral”. I’m Canadian and so maybe that has a bearing on things. Also, Reagan was the president during a time that I didn’t really pay much attention to politics – elementary school/high school. So my impressions of the man don’t affect my impressions of the name.
Additionally, if I were to see the name on a class list or something, I would assume it was pronounced Ree-gan rather than Ray-gan. If I heard the name shouted across the playground, I would likely think of Ronald Reagan, sure; but it wouldn’t colour my opinion of the child or family in any way.
I don’t think of the president when I see a girl named Reagan. It does remind me of The Exorcist, but I’m a horror fan, so that’s ok. The important thing is it sounds lovely. I personally love this name and would use it myself.
I voted neutral. I am 49 and was in high school during the Reagan presidency (I don’t have particularly negative feelings about him and I do think he was well-liked by a lot of people). I do not think that Reagan and other “presidential” names such as Kennedy are being used by today’s parents as a political statement, even if Reagan is more popular in the red states. I think Reagan, Kennedy, etc are just seen as names and the parents are not (usually) naming the child after the presidents or those presidents’ views.
I’m 20, and I voted strongly positively. I grew up in a Republican family who have always spoken highly of Ronald Reagan, so the political association of the name is a plus in my book. However, with that said, when I meet a Reagan I don’t automatically assume his/her parents named him/her as a tribute to the president. My aunt is named Reagan and I know that she comes from a conservative family, but even then I didn’t assume that her parents named her as a tribute to the president and only wondered if there was a connection (there isn’t; it’s an ancestor’s surname). I think the growing popularity of Reagan makes me less likely to assume that the parents had the president in mind when they chose their child’s name.