Regina

What does Regina mean?

Regina means “queen” in Latin and Italian. It became a Christian personal name early in its history and was later used in medieval England in honor of the Virgin Mary as queen. A nineteenth-century revival helped bring it back into wider English use.

The name is familiar across many European languages, including German, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Polish, and the Scandinavian languages. Its spelling often stays the same while the middle consonant and vowel sounds change. That combination gives Regina a broad international history within a recognizable written form.

A royal word as a personal name

Regina began with a complete Latin word rather than a combination of two older name elements. Its direct meaning remains visible in religious titles and in Italian vocabulary. English use preserves that royal association within a three-syllable first name.

Related forms include German Regine and Spanish Reina. Regena is an English spelling variant. These forms belong to the same queen-name family, although their sounds and endings differ. Regina keeps the full Latin ending that gives the English name its final unstressed syllable.

Regina King and acting

Actor and director Regina King gives the name a prominent screen connection. She won the supporting-actress Oscar for If Beale Street Could Talk at the 2019 ceremony. The film, adapted from James Baldwin's novel by Barry Jenkins, features her as Sharon Rivers.

Her television work has also received major recognition. She won supporting-actress Emmys for American Crime in 2015 and 2016, then leading-actress Emmys for Seven Seconds in 2018 and Watchmen in 2020. The roles span different characters and series rather than a single long-running part.

In Watchmen, she played Angela Abar, also known as Sister Night. Those film and television credits make Regina especially familiar to audiences encountering the name through contemporary American drama.

Regina Carter and the violin

Violinist Regina Carter provides a different artistic association. Raised in Detroit, she began studying through the Suzuki method as a child and developed an interest in jazz alongside classical training. She first attracted wider attention with the all-female jazz group Straight Ahead in 1987.

Her recordings explore several musical histories. Motor City Moments pays tribute to Detroit, while Reverse Thread reimagines traditional African songs. Southern Comfort grew from research into her father's roots in the American South.

Carter also recorded Paganini: After a Dream in Genoa, using the historic Guarneri violin known as Il Cannone. Her work connects Regina with an instrument often associated with classical music while demonstrating its possibilities in jazz and other traditions.

Pronunciation and American popularity

English Regina is commonly ri-JEE-nuh, with stress on the second syllable. Ri-JYE-nuh is another established English pronunciation. German uses a hard g, while Italian has a j-like middle consonant and Spanish a different, h-like sound.

Regina's highest American girls' count was 5,002 in 1962. Its best rank came in 1967, at No. 80. In 2025 it ranked No. 395, up from No. 516 in 2015.

How popular is Regina?

In 2025, Regina ranked #395 among girls in the United States, with 786 recorded uses. The U.S. birth records first list this spelling for girls in 1880; its largest annual count was 5,002 in 1962. Rankings count each spelling separately. They describe national use, so local familiarity can differ. The popularity chart shows whether the name has remained common, returned after a quieter period, or risen recently.