The newest member of the Kardashian clan answers to this royal appellation.

Our bonus Baby Name of the Day is Reign.

Reign: Nouveau Possibility

Reign wasn’t a baby name at all until recently.  Titles like Earl, Prince, and King have a much longer history of use.

The first year that more than five children named Reign was 1994.

By 2013, there were 97 girls and 25 boys given the name.  You’re much more likely to meet a baby Legend or Messiah, Miracle or Princess.

Brash Reign picks up where quiet nature name Rain left off.  Rain has been given to more than 100 girls every year since 2006.  It’s also used for boys, and pops up as middle name with some frequency.  Think of Christina Aguilera’s Summer Rain.

Another high profile birth announcement from 2014 featured the purple version of the name: Lil’ Kim’s daughter, Royal Reign.

Reign: All Royal

Gentle Wren and sweet Lily share the same playground as bold, fierce word names like Talon and Blaze.  Action verb names like Chase have a place in the modern baby naming lexicon, too.

Reign comes from the Latin regnare via the Old French regner – to hold sovereign power; to rule.  More generally, it can refer to being the most powerful or successful in a category.  We talk of the reign of a particular sports team – “the reigning champions,” for example.

It also refers to a monarch’s time on the throne – the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.

It’s a rather boastful name, but that’s not such an outlier in 2014.

Reign: More Kardashian than North

Kourtney Kardashian and Scott Disick were already parents to two children when son Reign Aston was born in December 2014.  The extended family also includes Kim’s daughter with Kanye West, North.

Kourtney and Scott had established a reputation for being good namers.  First came Mason Dash, the middle borrowed from mom’s surname.  Then their daughter arrived.  Penelope was a fast-rising favorite when the couple chose it, and Scotland was a clever nod to dad’s given name.

Word is that the couple quarreled over their third child’s name.  Scott liked the idea of honoring his late father, Jeffrey.  Rumor also had it that Kourtney was eager to find something unique, perhaps inspired by Kim’s surprising choice of the name North for her daughter.

Reign is a smidge less outlandish than North – but only a smidge.

I think it is flashier and more dramatic, a name that flirts with my 12 Signs That You May Be Considering a Crazy Baby Name.

Perhaps the weirdest thing about the name is this: dad actually was knighted back in 2012 and refers to himself as Lord Disick.  How did he manage that feat?  Apparently he purchased a title on the internet.

Reign: On Trend

Let’s say you’re not a member of reality television’s most famous family.  Is Reign really on trend?

• Parents no longer avoid brazen baby names like Legend – we’re confident that our kids will live up to these larger-than-life appellations.
• Single-syllable names for boys are stylish, and there have been signs that they’re gaining for girls, too.
• Lastly, there’s that bright, long ‘a’ sound again – just like in Mason and Jacob and lots of mainstream names for boys and girls.

Reign may be a surprising choice, but it might prove to be a trendsetting one, too.

What do you think of Reign?  Is it better for a boy or a girl?  Or is this one just much too much?