Regenald
Powerful ruler and guardian of the divine.
Name Census estimates that about 40 living Americans carry the first name Regenald. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Regenald today is around 56 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Regenald births was 1970 (8 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Regenald. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Regenald. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
40
~ 1 in 8,568,858 Americans
Peak year
1970
8 babies that year
Average age
56
years old
1987 SSA rank
#6,770
Tracked since 1931
Popularity
Regenald: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Regenald from the 1930s through to the 1980s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1970s, with 24 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1970s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Regenald by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Regenald during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Regenald
The given name Regenald traces its origins to the Germanic language family, with roots in Old High German. It is derived from the elements "ragin" meaning "counsel" or "advice" and "waldan" meaning "to rule" or "to govern." The name essentially translates to "mighty counselor" or "powerful advisor."
In the early medieval period, the name Regenald was particularly popular among the Franks, a Germanic tribe that settled in present-day France and parts of Germany. It was also used in other Germanic regions, such as modern-day England and the Low Countries.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Regenald can be found in the Chronicon Abbatiae de Evesham, a 12th-century chronicle written by a monk at the Abbey of Evesham in England. The text mentions a Regenald who served as a knight under King Edward the Confessor in the 11th century.
Throughout history, several notable figures have borne the name Regenald. One such individual was Regenald of Durham, a 12th-century English monk and chronicler who authored the Libellus de Admirandis Beati Cuthberti Virtutibus (c. 1170), a collection of miracles attributed to St. Cuthbert.
Another prominent figure was Regenald Pole (1500-1558), an English cardinal and the last Roman Catholic Archbishop of Canterbury before the English Reformation. He played a significant role in the religious upheavals of the 16th century and was a vocal opponent of the Anglican Church.
In the field of literature, Regenald Peckover (1612-1661) was an English poet and playwright who wrote several works, including the tragedy The Maid of Languedoc.
The name Regenald also appeared in the medieval Icelandic sagas. One notable example is Regenald Olafsson, a 12th-century Icelandic chieftain and lawspeaker mentioned in the Þórðar saga kakala.
Lastly, Regenald Baker (c. 1540-1625) was an English Benedictine monk and spiritual writer, best known for his work Sancta Sophia, a treatise on contemplative prayer.
While the name Regenald has fallen out of common usage in recent times, it remains a part of the rich tapestry of historical names, carrying echoes of its Germanic roots and the influential figures who bore it throughout the centuries.
People
Regenald + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Regenald as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with R
Other first names starting with R with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Regenald: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Regenald?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 40 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Regenald going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 8,568,858 US residents.
Is Regenald a common name?
We classify Regenald as "Very Rare". It ranks above 51% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 50 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Regenald most popular?
The single biggest year for Regenald was 1970, when 8 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Regenald is about 56 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Regenald in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Regenald a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Regenald in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Regenald still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Regenald in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Regenald can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many Americans are named Regenald?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.