Reginald (given name)

Reginald
Gender Masculine
Language(s) English
Origin
Language(s) Latin
Word/name Reginaldus
Other names
Short form(s) Reg
Pet form(s) Reggie
See also Ragnall, Reinhold, Ronald, Rex

Reginald is a masculine given name in the English language.

Etymology and history

The name is derived from the Latin Reginaldus, which has been influenced by the Latin word regina, meaning "queen". This Latin name is a Latinisation of a Germanic language name. This Germanic name is composed of two elements: the first ragin, meaning "advice", "counsel",[1] "decision";[2] the second element is wald, meaning "rule",[1] "ruler".[2] The Old German form of the name is Raginald; Old French forms are Reinald and Reynaud.[3]

Forms of this Germanic name were first brought to the British Isles by Scandinavians, in the form of the Old Norse Rögnvaldr. This name was later reinforced by the arrival of the Normans in the 11th century, in the Norman forms Reinald and Reynaud.[1]

The Latin Reginaldus was used as a Latin form of cognate names, such as the Old Norse Rögnvaldr, and the Gaelic Ragnall and Raghnall.[4]

Another French form, Renouard, was introduced by the Visigoths.[5] By the 18th and 19th centuries, the alternate spelling Renoir also came into use.

Translations

Use and popularity

Today Reginald is regarded as a very formal name, and bearers generally shorten their name to Reg in ordinary usage. Reggie is a pet form of Reg.[2]

Fictional characters

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Learn about the family history of your surname, Ancestry.com, retrieved 2 November 2010 which cited: Dictionary of American Family Names, Oxford University Press, ISBN 0-19-508137-4 for the surname "Reynold".
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Hanks, Patrick; Hardcastle, Kate; Hodges, Flavia (2006), A Dictionary of First Names, Oxford Paperback Reference (2nd ed.), Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 228, ISBN 978-0-19-861060-1
  3. ↑ Reaney, Percy Hilde; Wilson, Richard Middlewood (2006), A Dictionary of English Surnames (3rd ed.), London: Routledge, p. 2626, ISBN 0-203-99355-1
  4. ↑ McDonald, RA (2007). Manx Kingship in its Irish Sea Setting, 1187–1229: King Rǫgnvaldr and the Crovan Dynasty. Dublin: Four Courts Press. p. 13. ISBN 978-1-84682-047-2.
  5. ↑ House of Names: Renouard