2000
#2,122
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 15,673
First available Census row
Per 100,000 5.81
Uncommon Last name
Reagan
An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic "Ó Riagáin," meaning "descendant of Riagán" (a personal name of unknown meaning).
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 17,442 Americans carry the last name Reagan. That puts it at #2,331 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 5.09 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 19,651 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Reagan surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Reagan with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
17K
1 in 19,651
Census rank
#2,331
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
5.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
15K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 15,210 bearers of the surname Reagan in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 5.09 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2331st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Reagan, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.2%) and Hispanic (3.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Reagan
The surname Reagan originates from Ireland and is an Anglicized form of the Irish Gaelic name O'Riagain. It is believed to have originated from the Gaelic phrase "Rí Ágáin," meaning "little king" or "descendant of the king." The name has its roots in the ancient Irish kingdom of Bréifne, which encompassed parts of modern-day counties Cavan, Leitrim, and Longford.
The earliest recorded mentions of the name can be found in the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history compiled in the 17th century. It references individuals with the surname O'Riagain as early as the 11th century, indicating the name's long history in Ireland.
One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Gilla na Naem O'Riagain, who served as the Bishop of Ardagh in the late 12th century. Another notable figure was Maelsechlainn O'Riagain, a 13th-century poet and scholar from County Cavan.
As the name evolved, it took on various spellings, such as O'Regan, Regan, and eventually Reagan. The modern spelling of "Reagan" is believed to have emerged in the 16th century, as English influence in Ireland grew stronger.
In the 17th century, the name appears in records related to the Plantation of Ulster, a planned process of colonizing Ulster with Protestant English and Scottish settlers. During this time, many Irish families, including those bearing the surname Reagan, were displaced from their ancestral lands.
One of the most famous individuals with the surname Reagan was John Reagan, an Irish-American soldier who fought in the American Revolutionary War. Born in County Cavan, Ireland, in 1737, he emigrated to Pennsylvania and later served as a captain in the Continental Army.
Another notable figure was Michael Joseph Reagan, an Irish-American Catholic priest and educator born in 1837. He played a significant role in establishing Catholic education in the United States and founded several schools and institutions.
In the 20th century, the surname gained global recognition with Ronald Reagan, the 40th President of the United States. Born in 1911 in Tampico, Illinois, he served as President from 1981 to 1989 and is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in modern American politics.
Other notable individuals with the surname Reagan include Neil Reagan, an American actor and television director born in 1908, and David Reagan, an American Christian author and evangelist born in 1946.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Reagan
Among Census respondents with the surname Reagan, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.2%) and Hispanic (3.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Reagan bearers 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 surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Reagan surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.3% · 13,435
- Two or more races4.2% · 641
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 529
- Black or African American2.6% · 389
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 121
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 95
Timeline
Historical Census data for Reagan
Reagan appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#2,207
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 16,491
+818 bearers (+5.2%)
Per 100,000 5.59
Rank movement Down 85 places
2020
#2,331
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 15,210
-1,281 bearers (-7.8%)
Per 100,000 5.09
Rank movement Down 124 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,122 | 15,673 | 5.81 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,207 | 16,491 | 5.59 | +818 bearers (+5.2%) | Down 85 places |
| 2020 | #2,331 | 15,210 | 5.09 | -1,281 bearers (-7.8%) | Down 124 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Reagan surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #2,207 | #2,331 | -5.6% |
| Count | 16,491 | 15,210 | -7.8% |
| Per 100K | 5.59 | 5.09 | -9.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Reagan bearers went from 16,491 to 15,210 (-7.8% change). The surname moved down 124 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,207 to #2,331.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Reagan
FAQ
Reagan surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Reagan?
Name Census estimates that about 17,442 living Americans carry the surname Reagan. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 19,651 residents.
How common is Reagan?
Reagan ranks #2,331 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 5.09 per 100,000 residents, which is about 5 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 15,210 people with the surname Reagan. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (17,442), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 5.09 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 5.09 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 5 of them to have the surname Reagan.
Has Reagan become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Reagan went from 16,491 recorded bearers to 15,210. That is a decrease of 1,281 (-7.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,207 to #2,331.
What does the Census say about the background of Reagan?
Among Census respondents with the surname Reagan, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.2%) and Hispanic (3.5%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Reagan in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.3% (13,435 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Reagan appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.3%), Two or More Races (4.2%), Hispanic (3.5%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Reagan (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Reagan mean?
An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic "Ó Riagáin," meaning "descendant of Riagán" (a personal name of unknown meaning). The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Reagan (5.09 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people share the surname Reagan?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.