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Regina

Regina Cordium or Queen of Hearts by Dante Gabriel Rossetti

Regina sounds regal for a reason - it means "queen," from Latin, was the name of a saint (whose day is September 7), and one of the other names of the goddess Juno. Raina/Raine and Reina/Reine are variants of the same meaning. Nicknames include Gina, Ginny and Reggie. There are a few well known actresses and singers with this name, and it is the name of a city in Saskatchewan. Regina can be used in reference to the Virgin Mary, but also Queen Victoria. More recently, Regina is the name of the evil queen in a new TV show called Once Upon a Time.

In 2010 there were 493 baby girls named Regina, ranking at #588, jumping from 713 the year before. There were also 97 Reginae, 8 Regginae, and 5 Reginea, however the heck they intend you to pronouce those. Both Reina and Raina also ranked. If you want to take it up a step further, Rhiannon, a Welsh name that sounds similar, means "great queen." Rhiannon was a legendary goddess.

Juno Regina


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