Given name & surname
Ronaldo
“the king's advisor”
Ronaldo is a variant of Ronald. One interpretation is “the king's advisor.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
Ronaldo is a variant of Ronald. One interpretation is “the king's advisor.”
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
Ronaldo is a variant of Ronald. An origin associated with Ronald is Old Norse.
Explained through its name family
How it developed
In Portuguese usage, Ronaldo developed from Rǫgnvaldr.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1914. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin. Ronaldo is a variant 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
Ronaldo through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 6,043
- 6,043 boys · 0 girls
- Most popular year
- 1998
- 359 babies
- 2025
- 77
- #1,988 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −21%
- Easing
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 77 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 1,988 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 21.1% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 359 in 1998. In 2025, California had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (15). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 8,530 as a first name in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Ronaldo’s family of names
In Portuguese usage, Ronaldo has a diminutive in RONALDINHO. In Portuguese usage, Ronaldo developed from the Old Norse form Rǫgnvaldr. Ronaldo has a related form in Ronald.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Ronaldo has relatives in 5 languages.
5 related names in 5 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 4
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Across languages 9
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
- Reynaldoequivalent
- Reinaldoequivalent
- ReynoldEnglish
- Rinaldoequivalent
- Romualdoequivalent
- 羅納爾多Chinese
- Rainaldoequivalent
- Ronaldusequivalent
Show 1 moreShow fewer
See also 1
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
People named Ronaldo
- RonaldoBrazilian association football player (born 1976)
- RonaldinhoBrazilian associaton fooball player (born 1980)
- RonaldãoBrazilian association football playerborn 1965
- NaldoBrazilian footballer (1982–)
- RonaldoBrazilian association football playerborn 1991
- Richard WilliamsAmerican tennis coach (born 1942)
- Ronaldo GuiaroBrazilian footballerborn 1974
- Ronaldo da CostaBrazilian athletics competitor (born 1970)
- Ronaldo VieiraEnglish association football playerborn 1998
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Appears in
Similar names
If you love Ronaldo, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
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