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Ronald

Ronald: name meaning, origin & popularity

Meaning
“ruler's counselor”
Origin
Old Norse
Say it
RON-əld · 2 syllables
Used for
Boys

From Old Norse Rögnvaldr, via Scottish and English forms. The elements mean 'ruler, powers' and 'rule, counsel'.

Scandinavian namesScottish namesEnglish namesAmerican namesNames meaning royaltyNames meaning wisdomNames meaning nobleClassic namesVintage names

How popular is Ronald?

2024149 per million US babies
1880192019602000
Drag the line or the slider to read any year. Values are per million US births recorded by Social Security. Records before about 1937 undercount births, so early peaks can look taller than they were.

Babies named Ronald in 2024495

2024 rank#575 boys

Peak year1943

Total US babies since 18801,085,633

Ronald is fading: recent use is about 66% of its level ten years before.

Names like Ronald

Variants, related forms and names with the same roots.

  • Ronaldoruler's counselor · Germanic
  • Ronnyruler's counselor · English
  • Ronsong; joy · Hebrew
  • Ericeternal ruler · Old Norse
  • Eriketernal ruler · Old Norse
  • Odinfrenzy, inspiration · Old Norse
  • Colbydark farm · Old Norse
  • DustinThor's stone · Old Norse

Ronald questions

What does the name Ronald mean?

Ronald means "ruler's counselor". It comes from Old Norse. From Old Norse Rögnvaldr, via Scottish and English forms. The elements mean 'ruler, powers' and 'rule, counsel'.

Is Ronald a boy or girl name?

Ronald is mainly a boy's name in US records (100% of uses since 1880).

How popular is Ronald?

495 US babies were named Ronald in 2024. Its peak year was 1943.

How do you pronounce Ronald?

Ronald is usually pronounced RON-əld.

Birth counts: US Social Security Administration national data, 1880–2024 (names given to 5+ babies of a sex in a year). How we write meanings.