Given name & surname
Ron
“song of Joy”
Ron is used as a given name and a surname. One English interpretation is “song of Joy.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
One English interpretation is “song of Joy.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is English.
How it developed
Ron is used as a form of Ronald.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1919. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin. Ron is a short form of Ronald. The history of Ronald gives this family its wider story. Ronald was in use during the Middle Ages.
Combines direct and name-family evidence
Ron through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 36,432
- 36,362 boys · 70 girls
- Most popular year
- 1960
- 1,888 babies
- 2025
- 24
- #4,361 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −25%
- Easing
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 24 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 4,361 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 24.5% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 1,888 in 1960. In 2025, California and New York shared the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (5 each). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 74,027 as a first name in 2020; 1,276 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Ron’s family of names
In English usage, Ron is a diminutive of Ronald. Ron has a related form in Ronnie. Ron is a short form of Ronald.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 16
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 2
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 4
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Ron
- Ron PaulAmerican politician (born 1935)
- Ron PerlmanAmerican actor (born 1950)
- Ron DeSantisAmerican politician (born 1978)
- Ron VlaarDutch association football player (born 1985)
- Ron AtkinsonEnglish footballer, manager and commentatorborn 1939
- Ronald EvansNASA astronaut (1933-1990)
- Ron RivestAmerican cryptographerborn 1947
- Ron MoodyBritish actor (1924–2015)
- Ron DennisBritish businessmanborn 1947
Characters named Ron: Ron Stoppable (Kim Possible).
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Ron, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Rob
“one who is bright with fame”
>99% boys
Russell
“a little red-haired boy”
>99% boys
Clayton
“from the town settled on clay”
>99% boys
Alex
“helper and defender of mankind”
94% boys · 6% girls
Martin
“dedicated to Mars, the god of war”
>99% boys
Phillip
“one who loves horses”
>99% boys
Edgar
“a powerful and wealthy spearman”
>99% boys
Allen
“one who is precious” · “resembling a little rock”
>99% boys