How popular is the baby name Reagan in the United States right now? How popular was it historically? Use the popularity graph and data table below to find out! Plus, see all the blog posts that mention the name Reagan.

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Popularity of the baby name Reagan


Posts that mention the name Reagan

Baby name story: Reagan

Mr. and Mrs. Scott Bush of Dallas welcomed a baby boy on November 3, 1980 — the day before the presidential election. They named him Reagan, making his full name Reagan Bush.

“We felt it was a unique opportunity to name him after two great Americans,” said Scott Bush.

The birth prevented Mrs. Bush from getting to the polls, but Mr. Bush voted — “For Reagan, of course.”

Ronald Reagan and George Bush ended up defeating Jimmy Carter and Walter Mondale by a wide margin that year. No doubt this pleased the Bush family of Dallas very much.

Source: “Child Named for GOP Ticket.” Rushville Republican 8 Nov. 1980: 1.

What turned Jinx into a baby name?

Actress Jinx Falkenburg (1919-2003)
Jinx Falkenburg

The word jinx means “curse” or “hex,” but that hasn’t stopped parents from using it as a baby name!

After the silent Western Galloping Jinx came out in 1925, 6 baby girls (at least) got the name Jinx in 1926.

The name then dropped back out of the U.S. baby name data. It didn’t re-emerge until Eugenia “Jinx” Falkenburg — a model, actress, and early talk-show host — started to become famous in the early 1940s.

  • 1945: 7 baby girls named Jinx
  • 1944: 9 baby girls named Jinx
  • 1943: 7 baby girls named Jinx
  • 1942: unlisted
  • 1941: unlisted

Her childhood nickname, “Jinx,” had been coined by her mother, tennis champion Marguerite (“Mickey”), who said, rather paradoxically, that “she thought it would bring the girl good fortune.” Her father, an engineer named Eugene, already had dibs on the nickname “Genie.”

Jinx must have loved her nickname, because she tried to make her full legal name “Jinx” in early 1942. Her lawyer argued that a shorter name on the marquee would help support the war effort:

The name Falkenburg requires 150 light bulbs, which in one evening will use enough electrical power to aid in the production of 26,00 [sic] pounds of aluminum or illuminate a city of 105,000 population.

But Judge Emmet H. Wilson “ruled there is no legal precedent to such dramatic shortening” of a name. So Jinx settled for dropping her birth name Eugenia and making her full legal name Jinx Falkenburg.

Jinx, who began her career as a model and actress, “pioneered the talk show format on radio and television” with her husband, Texas-born John Reagan “Tex” McCrary. Their first radio program was a morning program called “Hi Jinx.”

What are your thoughts on Jinx as a personal name?

Sources:

P.S. Gwili, Sivi, and Donivee are three more forgotten Hollywood actresses who left their mark on the U.S. baby name charts.

Baby names needed: Girl names for Thomas’ twin sisters

A reader named Eva is expecting twin girls and would like some help naming them. She says:

One of the twins should have a unisex first name and a very girly middle name. For the second twin we want a girly first name and unisex middle name.

Here are the names Eva likes so far:

  • Unisex: Avery, Harper, Morgan, Kennedy, Madison
  • Feminine: Anastasia, Michaela, Caroline, Sofia, Kristina

Her husband is only on board with Avery, Caroline, Kristina and Michaela (he prefers the spelling Makayla).

The twins will have an older brother named Thomas Aiden (nn Tommy) and their surname will be similar to Damon.

Eva’s criteria reminded me of the twins named Charlotte and Dylan I wrote about a few years ago. I think the name Charlotte is a good option in this case, but Dylan plus that surname might be D/N-overload. Here are some other possibilities:

Feminine namesUnisex names
Adeline
Amelia
Anne/Annie
Bethany
Camille
Cassandra
Cecilia
Cynthia
Esmé
Fiona
Gemma
Genevieve
Hannah
Helena
Julia
Lydia
Lucy
Maria
Melanie
Melissa
Monica
Nicole
Olivia
Phoebe
Rose
Samantha
Sarah
Tabitha
Theresa
Victoria		Addison
Ainsley
Alexis
Bailey
Cameron
Casey
Cassidy
Emery
Finley
Harley
Jamie
Jordan
Kendall
Leigh
Paige
Parker
Piper
Quinn
Reagan
Reese
Riley
Rowan
Sage
Shea
Sidney
Skylar
Tatum
Taylor
Teagan
Willow

Which of the above names do you like best for Tommy’s sisters? What combinations (either unisex+feminine or feminine+unisex) sound best together, do you think?

Here are a few combinations I like, just to kick things off:

  • Unisex+Feminine: Avery Helena, Cameron Nicole, Riley Caroline
  • Feminine+Unisex: Amelia Quinn, Olivia Willow, Victoria Leigh