Regana

Regana is an elaboration of the English name Regan, with its form influenced by the Latin-derived Regina (meaning "queen"). The addition of the suffix "-ana" transforms Regan into a more ornate, feminized name, likely coined in the modern period for distinctiveness. As Regan's primary origin, the name appears in Geoffrey of Monmouth's Historia Regum Britanniae as the name of a treacherous daughter of King Leir (later adapted by Shakespeare for his tragedy King Lear (1606)). In that play, Regan is the cruel and power‑hungry second daughter who, with her sister Goneril, plots against their father, signifying themes of betrayal and ambition. Later, the name gained modern pop‑culture reference through the horror film The Exorcist (1973), where the possessed girl is Regan MacNeil. This visible‐horror association coexists with a more literary, Shakespearean tradition. British surname use of Reagan and Regan likely derives from the Old Irish Ó Ríagáin (descendants of Ríagán). Ríagán itself is a diminutive of rí "king," which aligns with sensibilities behind Regina, the latin name meaning "queen." That chain — from "kinglet/impulsive ruler" via Gaelic to a classic sounding Elizabethan villian — makes Regan a complicated, interesting. While the addition of final “‑ana” distills in essence “little/femalized: queen / descendant of Riagán?.” Riposting between from Macbeth kingdoms onto “The Exorcist...

• Meaning: Elaboration of Regan, influenced by Regina
• Origin: English
  
• Type: First Name
  
• Usage: English