Ronald
Ronald is a masculine given name derived from the Old Norse Rögnvaldr, or possibly from Old English Regenweald. In some cases Ronald is an Anglicised form of the Gaelic Raghnall, a name likewise derived from Rögnvaldr. The latter name is composed of the Old Norse elements regin and valdr ("ruler").
Meaning & Origin of Ronald
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Ronald is a masculine given name derived from the Old Norse Rögnvaldr, or possibly from Old English Regenweald. In some cases Ronald is an Anglicised form of the Gaelic Raghnall, a name likewise derived from Rögnvaldr. The latter name is composed of the Old Norse elements regin and valdr ("ruler").
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
The Story of Ronald
Ronald first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby boy name in 1883, with 6 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1947, when 34,900 Ronalds were born — ranking #11 that year. As of 2026, Ronald ranks #599 for baby boys with 484 births, gradually falling (-12%). In total, more than 1.1M Ronalds have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1880s through the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Notable people named Ronald
A small selection from Wikipedia. Tap "Read more" below to see the full list on Wikipedia.
- Ronald I of Buganda
- Ronald Acuña Jr. , Venezuelan baseball player
- Ronald Alcock (died 1991), British stamp dealer and philatelic speaker
- Ronald Alley (1926–1999), British art historian and curator
- Ronalds Arājs , Latvian athlete
- Ronald Arculli , former chairman of Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing, non-official members convenor of the Executive Council of Hong Kong, senior partner at King & Wood Mallesons
- Ron Atkinson , English football manager
- Ronald Azuma , American computer scientist
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
Names that sound like Ronald
Phonetically similar names — useful when Ronald is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.
Frequently Asked Questions about Ronald
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About the name Ronald
Ronald is a boy baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1883 and has accumulated 1.1M births in the dataset. Ronald's peak popularity came in 1947 when it ranked #9. Use the chart and map above to compare Ronald's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 1947 →
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- Top names of 2026 →
Data sources
- Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
- Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
- Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
- Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
- Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .
Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.