Rheagan
A feminine name of Irish origin meaning "little royal/kingly one".
Name Census estimates that about 622 living Americans carry the first name Rheagan. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Rheagan today is around 18 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Rheagan births was 2004 (31 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Rheagan. 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.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Rheagan with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
622
~ 1 in 551,052 Americans
Peak year
2004
31 babies that year
Average age
18
years old
2024 SSA rank
#8,821
Tracked since 1980
Census
Rheagan in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 546 people with the first name Rheagan, which placed it at #19,393 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#19,393
National first-name rank
People counted
546
546 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.2
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
72.2% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rheagan
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Rheagan is White at 72.2%. The next largest groups are Black (17.2%) and Hispanic (4.8%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Rheagan described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Rheagan at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White72.2% · 394
- Black or African American17.2% · 94
- Hispanic or Latino4.8% · 26
- Two or more races3.8% · 21
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.1% · 6
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 5
Popularity
Rheagan: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Rheagan from the 1980s through to the 2020s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 261 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2000s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Rheagan 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 Rheagan during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Rheagans live
The SSA's state-level files cover 3 states and territories. Texas, Kentucky, Tennessee recorded the most babies named Rheagan, while Tennessee, Kentucky, Texas recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 27 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Rheagan
The name Rheagan is believed to have its origins in the ancient Celtic language, which was spoken in parts of Europe, particularly in the British Isles, during the Iron Age and medieval periods. It is thought to be derived from the Celtic word "rigan," which means "little king" or "kingly."
According to historical records, the name Rheagan first appeared in written form in the 8th century CE, in ancient Irish manuscripts and texts. It was commonly used as a given name among the Celtic tribes and clans of Ireland and Scotland during that time.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Rheagan can be found in the Annals of Ulster, a chronicle of medieval Irish history. In this text, a person named Rheagan mac Fergus is mentioned as a prominent figure in the year 738 CE.
Throughout the Middle Ages, the name Rheagan was particularly popular among the noble and ruling classes of Ireland and Scotland. It was often chosen for sons who were expected to inherit titles or positions of leadership within their respective clans or kingdoms.
One notable historical figure bearing the name Rheagan was Rheagan mac Áeda, an Irish king who ruled the kingdom of Bréifne in the 10th century CE. He is recorded in the Annals of Ulster as having been involved in various conflicts and battles during his reign.
Another famous bearer of the name was Rheagan Rúad Ua Conchobair, an Irish king who ruled the Kingdom of Connacht in the 12th century CE. He is remembered for his military campaigns against the Anglo-Norman invaders of Ireland and his efforts to preserve the independence of his kingdom.
In the 16th century, a Scottish noble named Rheagan Macleod was recorded as having played a significant role in the clan conflicts and power struggles that took place in the Hebrides islands during that time.
Moving forward to the 18th century, a notable figure named Rheagan O'Donnell is mentioned in historical accounts as a leader of the United Irishmen, a revolutionary republican movement that sought to end British rule in Ireland.
Lastly, in the 19th century, a Scottish poet and author named Rheagan Macpherson gained recognition for his works celebrating the Gaelic culture and traditions of the Scottish Highlands.
People
Rheagan + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Rheagan 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
Rheagan: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Rheagan?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 622 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Rheagan 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 551,052 US residents.
Is Rheagan a common name?
We classify Rheagan as "Very Rare". It ranks above 86.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 631 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Rheagan most popular?
The single biggest year for Rheagan was 2004, when 31 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Rheagan is about 18 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Rheagan in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 546 people with the name Rheagan, or 0.18 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #19,393 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Rheagan in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Rheagan?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Rheagan leans strongly female. 530 people counted with this name were female (97.8%), compared with 12 male bearers (2.2%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Rheagan?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Rheagan is White at 72.2%. The next largest groups are Black (17.2%) and Hispanic (4.8%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Rheagan most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Rheagan in the 2020 Census, accounting for 72.2% (394 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
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 Rheagan in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Rheagan a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Rheagan in the SSA data are female. 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 Rheagan still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Rheagan 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 Rheagan 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.
How many people have Rheagan as a first name?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.