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ArchivesMy column on Reagan and Regan
Here is the link to today's column:
https://omaha.com/life-entertainment/local/cleveland-evans-new-biopic-just-might-rekindle-interest-in-regan-reagan/article_8025ac32-600c-11ef-8c30-73c4e4421806.html
It's always interesting for me to discover how a now forgotten formerly well-known person like John Reagan of Texas influenced the use of a name.
https://omaha.com/life-entertainment/local/cleveland-evans-new-biopic-just-might-rekindle-interest-in-regan-reagan/article_8025ac32-600c-11ef-8c30-73c4e4421806.html
It's always interesting for me to discover how a now forgotten formerly well-known person like John Reagan of Texas influenced the use of a name.
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Replies
I've noticed that, while Regan is occasionally used in real life, the name of her sister Goneril is pretty much unused. From what I remember from King Lear, both sisters were equally evil. My guess is that Regan has a more pleasant sound to it than Goneril, which might explain why Regan is used outside of theater while Goneril isn't.
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Goneril sounds like a nasty disease.
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I don't know if Reagan's popularity as an actor would have changed the name in the Exorcist from Reegan to Raygan. Many people in the entertainment industry at the time pronounced the actor's name as Reegan and he had to do a bit of rebranding to get everyone to say Raygan when* he ran for President (apparently this was Nancy's idea). There was a period where opponents would purposely pronounce his name Reegan but he did win the vote so that died out.
*Not sure when the pronunciation change happened but he married Nancy in 1952, lots of time to shift it before The Exorcist!
*Not sure when the pronunciation change happened but he married Nancy in 1952, lots of time to shift it before The Exorcist!
This message was edited 9/2/2024, 4:18 AM
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I was reading about whether Ronald Reagan was famous as an actor in 1955 when he was referenced in the movie Back to the Future, and someone explained his fame took a significant uptick when he started hosting General Electric Theater. His name was pronounced Raygun then! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O3bDuCiFN2M .
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Great column, as always!
I wonder if Shakespeare's play caused Regan to appear as a feminine name in 1946 after a long, long time. It would be rare since names used in theatre aren't commonly used in real life, although there are some few exceptions (Araminta, Cordelia). Regan as a masculine name could be a variant of Reagan, which was somewhat established by that time (https://www.behindthename.com/top/beyond?name=Regan&gender=&type=percent).
I wonder if Shakespeare's play caused Regan to appear as a feminine name in 1946 after a long, long time. It would be rare since names used in theatre aren't commonly used in real life, although there are some few exceptions (Araminta, Cordelia). Regan as a masculine name could be a variant of Reagan, which was somewhat established by that time (https://www.behindthename.com/top/beyond?name=Regan&gender=&type=percent).
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