Explore the Family Name Regent
The meaning of Regent
1. Polish, Czech, and Jewish (eastern Ashkenazic); French (Régent): status name or nickname from a vernacular form of Latin regens ‘ruling’, present participle of regere ‘to rule’. The usual meaning of the word is ‘one who governs in place of a sovereign (typically, one who is still a child or who is incapacitated through mental or other illness)’, but at certain medieval universities, regent was a status name for a member of the teaching faculty who held a particular position of authority. The surname could have denoted a servant of a regent in either sense, or it may have been a nickname for someone who behaved as if he was in charge. As a Jewish name it is artificial. 2. English (Suffolk): variant of Ridgeon (also found as Redgin and Redgen), a Suffolk form of Rigden. The addition of final -t may have been motivated by false association with the word regent (see 1 above).
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Regent in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the popularity of the surname Regent has slightly dipped between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, it was ranked 112,967 in terms of popularity, but by 2010, it had slipped to 123,796, marking a decrease of 9.59%. The number of individuals bearing this last name likewise fell from 144 in 2000 to 139 in 2010, a decline of 3.47%. However, when viewed as a proportion per 100,000 people, the prevalence of the surname remained stable at 0.05.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #112,967 | #123,796 | -9.59% |
| Count | 144 | 139 | -3.47% |
| Proportion per 100k | 0.05 | 0.05 | 0% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Regent
The ethnic identity associated with the surname Regent showed some changes over the same decade according to the Decennial U.S. Census data. In 2000, there were no recorded instances of the name being tied to Asian/Pacific Islander or two or more races. By 2010, however, 6.47% of those with the Regent surname identified as Asian/Pacific Islander. The percentage of those identifying as white dropped from 82.64% in 2000 to 78.42% in 2010, while the percentage of black identity decreased slightly from 11.11% to 10.79%. There was no change in the percentage of those identifying as Hispanic or American Indian and Alaskan Native.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 82.64% | 78.42% | -5.11% |
| Black | 11.11% | 10.79% | -2.88% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0% | 6.47% | 0% |
| Two or More Races | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Hispanic | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0% | 0% | 0% |