Ronald

Ronald - A very unique male name

Ronald appeared on the charts for the first time in 1910 on position #233. In this article you'll learn the history of this name, statistics, see famous people named Ronald and more.
Are you having a baby or looking to learn more about the name Ronald? Our experts and editorial staff have gathered trends and insights for 30,000+ baby names over the last 100 years -- And on this page you will learn everything you ever wanted to know about the name Ronald. The baby boy name Ronald was given to 383 baby boys in 2025, ranking #651 on the national boy baby name top chart.


With that position 1 in 3,828 baby boys were given this name - making this a very unique male name according to our Popularity Score algorithm. Ronald peaked in popularity 85 years ago in 1941 on position 9.

Famous with this name

How would you rate Ronald, 1-5?

Ronald is currently topping the charts in...

Did you know that popularity can vary a lot between states? Ronald is currently topping the baby name charts in New Jersey at position #394 - and is the least popular in Tennessee at position #1,021.

Why care about state specific baby name charts? It could be that a name that is very popular on the national overall charts is less (or even more) popular where you live. So make sure you check out the state specific charts below and find out how popular or unique Ronald is where you live.

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Ronald origin and meaning

Old Norse, via Scotland

Scottish form of Old Norse Ragnvaldr: regin 'counsel, the gods' + valdr 'ruler' — 'ruler's counsel'

Ronald is the Scottish form of a Norse name, spread through the English-speaking world in the 19th and 20th centuries. It was enormous mid-century — nearly 35,000 births in its 1947 peak year — and has been falling for decades.

Attested etymology

Ronald is a 6 letter name with 2 syllables.

To see famous people named Ronald, pop culture references for the name Ronald and nicknames & variations - visit Nameberry or Wikipedia.

Similar to Ronald

We've found the following names that sound similar to Ronald, sorted by popularity.

Reynaldo / Ronaldo / Reinaldo / Reynold / Renaldo / Raynaldo / Reinhold / Rumaldo / Rinaldo / Renald /

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Name statistics

Most parents-to-be know if they want a popular or unique name, and with these charts and data tables you can easily get a better understanding of how popular or unique this name is.

With a quick glance you can easily tell if this name is increasing or declining in popularity - But note that its current popularity can actually differ a lot from state to state.

Chart position per year (visualized)

Chart position per state (visualized)

Chart position per year (table view)

Chart position per state (table view)

Even more about Ronald

These are some of the common questions you may want to have answered to know if this is the perfect name for your baby.

Is Ronald a common or unique name?

By analyzing the number of births and frequency of this name we've determined that it's currently a very unique male name.

What is the number of syllables for the name Ronald?

2 syllables. Why is this important? One of the things that makes a baby name sound good and have a nice rythm is the number of syllables - and especially the number of syllables along with the syllable count for your last name. A simple rule is to avoid having the same number of syllables in your first, middle and last name.

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Pronunciation

RON-uld · /ˈrɒnəld/

Around the world

• Ronaldo (Portuguese) — The Portuguese form of the same name
• Ronaldo (Spanish) — Used in Spanish-speaking countries in the Portuguese form

Spellings and nicknames

Nicknames: RonRonnie

Famous bearers

• Ronald Reagan — 40th President of the United States (1911–2004) Contemporary
• Ronald McDonald — The clown mascot of McDonald's restaurants (Fictional, 1963) Fictional

Style

Classic

Why parents choose it

Ronald today is mostly an honour name for grandfathers — solid and mid-century, chosen deliberately rather than fashionably.

Worth knowing

• Two dominant associations pull hard: President Reagan and the McDonald's clown