Show ContentsRegan History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Irish surnames are linked to the long Gaelic heritage of the Island nation. The original Gaelic form of the name Regan is Ó Riagain. In County Waterford, the Gaelic form Ó Reagain is used.

Early Origins of the Regan family

The surname Regan was first found in County Meath (Irish: An Mhí) anciently part of the kingdom of Brega, located in Eastern Ireland, in the province of Leinster, where they held a family seat from very ancient times.

One of the oldest records of the family was Morice Regan (fl. 1171), an Irish interpreter. He is stated in an old French poem, of which the only text begins 'Par soen demeine latimer.' He is thought to have acted as an interpreter and herald, or envoy in the service of Diarmaid MacMurchada, King of Leinster. 1

Early History of the Regan family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Regan research. Another 137 words (10 lines of text) covering the year 1172 is included under the topic Early Regan History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Regan Spelling Variations

Lacking standardized spellings, scribes and church officials recorded people's name according to how they sounded. This practice often led to the misleading result of one person's name being recorded under several different spellings. Numerous spelling variations of the surname Regan are preserved in the archival documents of the period. The various spellings of the name that were found include Reagan, Regan, O'Regan, O'Reagan and others.

Early Notables of the Regan family

Notable among the family name at this time was

  • O'Regan of Meath

Regan World Ranking

In the United States, the name Regan is the 2,067th most popular surname with an estimated 14,922 people with that name. 2 However, in Australia, the name Regan is ranked the 946th most popular surname with an estimated 4,186 people with that name. 3 And in the United Kingdom, the name Regan is the 858th popular surname with an estimated 7,917 people with that name. 4


Regan migration to the United States +

Suffering from poverty and racial discrimination, thousands of Irish families left the island in the 19th century for North America aboard cramped passenger ships. The early migrants became settlers of small tracts of land, and those that came later were often employed in the new cities or transitional work camps. The largest influx of Irish settlers occurred with Great Potato Famine during the late 1840s. Although the immigrants from this period were often maligned when they arrived in the United States, they provided the cheap labor that was necessary for the development of that country as an industrial power. Early immigration and passenger lists have revealed many immigrants bearing the name Regan:

Regan Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Cornelius Regan, who arrived in Maryland in 1662 5
Regan Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Lott Regan, who landed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1772 5
Regan Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Mary Regan, aged 40, who arrived in America in 1822 5
  • Patrick Regan, aged 28, who arrived in Baltimore, Maryland in 1834 5
  • Denis Regan, aged 33, who arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1834 5
  • Jeremiah Regan, aged 22, who landed in Baltimore, Maryland in 1834 5
  • William Regan, aged 24, who landed in Missouri in 1839 5
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Regan migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Regan Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
  • Mr. Jeremiah Regan U.E. (b. 1741) who settled in Sussex Vale [Sussex Corner], Kings County, New Brunswick c. 1784 he was a Magistrate, he died in 1815 6
Regan Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
  • Michael Regan, aged 28, who landed in Canada in 1823
  • John Regan, who settled with his wife and three children in Prescott, Ontario, Canada, in 1825
  • Daniel Regan, aged 26, a labourer, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1833 aboard the barque "Independence" from Kinsale, Ireland
  • Daniel Regan, aged 26, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1833 aboard the brig "Thomas Hanford" from Cork, Ireland
  • Mary Regan, aged 24, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1833 aboard the brig "Thomas Hanford" from Cork, Ireland
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Regan migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Regan Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • John Regan, a currier, who arrived in Van Diemen’s Land (now Tasmania) sometime between 1825 and 1832
  • Miss Mary Regan, (b. 1806), aged 20, Irish nursery maid who was convicted in Cork, Ireland for 7 years for stealing, transported aboard the "Brothers" on 3rd October 1826, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 7
  • Mr. Jeremiah Regan, (b. 1810), aged 20, Irish ploughman who was convicted in County Kerry, Ireland for life for theft, transported aboard the "Forth" on 1st January 1830, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 8
  • Mr. James Regan, English convict who was convicted in Lancaster, Lancashire, England for 14 years, transported aboard the "Elphinstone" on 20th January 1836, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 9
  • Miss Catherine Regan, (b. 1810), aged 27, Irish servant who was convicted in Cork, Ireland for 7 years for stealing, transported aboard the "Diamond" on 29th November 1837, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 10
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Regan migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Regan Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • Mr. Peter Regan, (b. 1837), aged 19, British shoemaker travelling from London aboard the ship "Isabella Hercus" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 4th January 1856 11
  • Miss Kate Regan, (b. 1846), aged 19, Irish domestic servant from Limerick travelling from London aboard the ship "Tudor" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 24th September 1865 12
  • Margaret Regan, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Mallard" in 1870
  • John Regan, aged 32, a cattle dealer, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Conflict" in 1874
  • Catherine Regan, aged 25, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Woodlark" in 1874
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Regan (post 1700) +

  • John Regan (1951-2023), American musician, songwriter, producer, and bassist who has worked with Ace Frehley, Peter Frampton, The Rolling Stones, Stephen Stills, Dave Edmunds and many more
  • Bridget Catherine Regan (b. 1982), American actress known for portrayals in the television series Legend of the Seeker, Rebecca Lowe / Rachel Turner in White Collar, Rose Solano in Jane the Virgin and Dottie Underwood in Agent Carter
  • Michael Stanley Regan (b. 1976), American environmental regulator, 2nd Secretary of the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality (2017-), Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency Nominee
  • Russ Regan (1928-2018), born Harold Rustigan, an American record executive, President of UNI Records and 20th Century Records from Sanger, California
  • Second Lieutenant Patrick J. Regan (1882-1943), American officer in the United States Army who received the Medal of Honor for his actions during World War I
  • Donald Thomas Regan (1918-2003), American government official and financier, U.S. Secretary of the Treasury (1981-1985)
  • Tom Regan (b. 1938), American philosopher and animal-rights activist
  • Kenneth Mills Regan (1893-1959), American politician, U.S. Representative from Texas
  • Don Regan, American Republican politician, Candidate for U.S. Representative from California 23rd District, 2004 13
  • Dave Regan, American Democratic Party politician, President, Service Employees International Union, Local 1199; Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Ohio, 2008 13
  • ... (Another 29 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Empress of Ireland
  • Mr. Michael Regan (d. 1914), British Fireman from United Kingdom who worked aboard the Empress of Ireland and died in the sinking 14
HMS Repulse
  • Mr. Laurence Regan, British Leading Cook "S", who sailed into battle on the HMS Repulse (1941) and died in the sinking 15
  • Mr. Albert E Regan, British Able Bodied Seaman, who sailed into battle on the HMS Repulse (1941) and survived the sinking 15
Mount Mulligan Mine
  • John Regan, Australian coal miner who was killed in the Mount Mulligan Mine explosion in 1921
Prince of Wales colliery
  • Mr. Michael Regan (b. 1855), Welsh coal miner who was working at the Prince of Wales colliery in Abercarn, Wales on the 11th September 1878 when there was a coal mine explosion; he died 16
  • Mr. John Regan (b. 1859), Welsh coal miner who was working at the Prince of Wales Colliery in Abercarn, Wales on the 11th September 1878 when there was a coal mine explosion; he died 16
  • Mr. John Regan (b. 1864), Welsh coal miner who was working at the Prince of Wales Colliery in Abercarn, Wales on the 11th September 1878 when there was a coal mine explosion; he died 16


Suggested Readings for the name Regan +

  • The Invincible Irish: Ronald Wilson Reagen-Irish Ancestry and Immigration to America by Patricia Meade White.
  • The Lineage of the Amos Ragan Family by Elizabeth H. Ragan.

  1. Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
  2. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  3. "Most Common Last Names in Australia." Forebears, https://forebears.io/australia/surnames
  4. "UK surname ranking." UK Surname map, https://www.surnamemap.eu/unitedkingdom/surnames_ranking.php?p=10
  5. Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
  6. Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
  7. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 3rd November 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/brothers
  8. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 24th October 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/forth
  9. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 16th March 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/elphinstone
  10. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 1st July 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/Diamond
  11. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  12. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  13. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 8) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
  14. Commemoration Empress of Ireland 2014. (Retrieved 2014, June 17) . Retrieved from http://www.empress2014.ca/seclangen/listepsc1.html
  15. HMS Repulse Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listrepulsecrew.html
  16. Entombed in flood and flame (retrieved 3rd August 2021). Retrieved from https://web.archive.org/web/20120603025705/http://www.crosskeys.me.uk/history/prince.htm


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