Given name & surname · also Old Norse
Ronald
“the king's advisor”
Ronald is used as a given name and a surname. One interpretation is “the king's advisor.”
Original Old NorseRǫgnvaldr
Meaning & origin
What it means
One interpretation is “the king's advisor.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Old Norse.
How it developed
In English usage, Ronald developed from Rǫgnvaldr.
The story
Ronald was in use during the Middle Ages.
Ronald through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 1,086,091
- 1,082,247 boys · 3,844 girls
- Most popular year
- 1947
- 34,972 babies
- 2025
- 438
- #638 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −20%
- Easing
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 438 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 638 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 19.6% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 34,899 in 1947. In 2025, California had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (40). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 689,843 as a first name in 2020; 1,253 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.
Ronald’s family of names
In English usage, Ronald has a diminutive in Ronnie. In French usage, Ronald has a feminine form in Rhona. In English usage, Ronald has a conventional equivalent in the Catalan form Reginald.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Ronald has relatives in 13 languages. Lines run from its Old Norse roots to each of them.
Old Norsewhere Ronald comes from · 1 name
Nicknames & forms 17
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Across languages 15
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
See also 3
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
People named Ronald
- Ronald Reagan40th President of the United States (1981–1989)1911–2004
- Ronald RossBritish doctor, Nobel laureate, writer, and artist (1857–1932)
- Ron PaulAmerican politician (born 1935)
- Ronnie James DioAmerican heavy metal singer (1942–2010)
- Ronald KoemanDutch football coach and former football player (born 1963)
- Ronald CoaseBritish economist and Nobel laureate (1910–2013)
- Ronald FisherBritish statistician, evolutionary biologist and geneticist (1890–1962)
- Ronnie O'SullivanEnglish snooker player (born 1975)
- Ronald GoliasBrazilian actor and comedian (1929–2005)
Characters named Ronald: Ronald McDonald (clown mascot of McDonald's restaurant chain), Ronald Opus (fictional gunshot victim used to illustrate law of death inquiry).
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Ronald, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Rolf
“a famous wolf”
>99% boys
Elvis
“one who is wise”
>99% boys
Richard
“a powerful ruler”
>99% boys
Hal
“the ruler of the house” · “home”
>99% boys
Hrothgar
“a king”
>99% boys
Purcell
Purcell is a variant of Percival. One French interpretation is “one who can pierce the vale; in Arthurian legend, the only one who could retrieve the Holy Grail.”
>99% boys
Hrothegare
“a king”
—
Hrothegarr
“a king”
—