Regnald
Regnald, a masculine name of Germanic origin meaning "counsel ruler" or "wise ruler".
Name Census estimates that about 52 living Americans carry the first name Regnald. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Regnald today is around 54 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Regnald births was 1969 (7 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Regnald. 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 Regnald. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
52
~ 1 in 6,591,430 Americans
Peak year
1969
7 babies that year
Average age
54
years old
1985 SSA rank
#7,354
Tracked since 1959
Popularity
Regnald: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Regnald from the 1950s through to the 1980s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1960s, with 22 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1960s peak, Regnald remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Regnald 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 Regnald 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 Regnald
The name Regnald has its origins in Old Norse and Old English, derived from the Germanic elements "ragin" meaning "counsel" or "advice" and "wald" meaning "rule" or "leader." The name was popular in medieval times, particularly in Scandinavia and areas influenced by Viking culture.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Regnald is found in the Orkneyinga Saga, a historical narrative from the 12th century that chronicles the history of the Earls of Orkney. The saga mentions a figure named Regnald, who was the son of Olaf Cuaran, the second Earl of Orkney.
Another notable historical figure with this name was Regnald of Durham, a 12th-century English cleric and historian. He served as a canon of Durham Cathedral and is best known for his work "Libellus de Admirandis Beati Cuthberti Virtutibus," which chronicles the life and miracles of St. Cuthbert.
In the 13th century, Regnald de Bathonia, also known as Reynold of Bath, was an English mathematician and philosopher. He made significant contributions to the field of optics and is credited with developing the first known camera obscura, a device used to study light and vision.
During the 14th century, Regnald Pecock, an English prelate and scholar, gained prominence for his writings defending the Church of England against the Lollard movement. His work, "The Repressor of Over Much Blaming of the Clergy," was a notable theological treatise of the time.
In the 16th century, Regnald Pole, an English cardinal and the last Catholic Archbishop of Canterbury before the English Reformation, played a significant role in the religious and political turmoil of the time. He was a leading figure in the Counter-Reformation and briefly served as the papal legate to England under Queen Mary I.
These are just a few examples of notable individuals throughout history who bore the name Regnald, reflecting its historical significance and prevalence, particularly in Northern European and English contexts.
People
Regnald + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Regnald 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
Regnald: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Regnald?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 52 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Regnald 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 6,591,430 US residents.
Is Regnald a common name?
We classify Regnald as "Very Rare". It ranks above 54.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 58 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Regnald most popular?
The single biggest year for Regnald was 1969, when 7 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Regnald is about 54 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 Regnald in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Regnald a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Regnald 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 Regnald still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Regnald 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 Regnald 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 Regnald?
Want to know how many people have the name Regnald? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.