Given name & surname
Ronan
“resembling a little seal”
Ronan is used as a given name and a surname. One interpretation is “resembling a little seal.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
One interpretation is “resembling a little seal.”
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1959. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Ronan through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 20,938
- 20,679 boys · 259 girls
- Most popular year
- 2025
- 1,428 babies
- 2025
- 1,428
- #247 for boys · #5,677 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +6%
- Steady
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 1,406 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 247 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 6.2% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. It also appeared in 22 birth records for girls in 2025. In 2025, California had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (154). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 13,407 as a first name in 2020; 3,492 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.
Ronan’s family of names
Ronan has a related form in Ronat. In English usage, Ronan has a conventional equivalent in the Scottish Gaelic form Rònan. In English usage, Ronan has a conventional equivalent in the Irish form Rónán.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 2
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 3
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.
See also 1
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
People named Ronan
- Ronan KeatingIrish singer (born 1977)
- Ronan FarrowAmerican journalistborn 1987
- Ronan ParkeEnglish pop singerborn 1998
- Ronan O'GaraIrish rugby union footballer and coachborn 1977
- Ronan Le CromFrench footballerborn 1974
- Ronan VibertEnglish actor (1964–2022)
- Ronan Pensecroad bicycle racerborn 1963
- Ronan CurtisIrish association football player (born 1996)
- Ronan HardimanIrish composerborn 1961
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Ronan, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Rogan
“a red-haired man”
93% boys · 7% girls
Callan
“one who is powerful in battle” · “a talkative woman”
95% boys · 5% girls
Lochlan
“from the land of the lochs” · “from the land of lakes”
97% boys · 3% girls
Kieran
“having dark features; the little dark one”
97% boys · 3% girls
Conan
“resembling a wolf” · “one who is high and mighty”
>99% boys
Sullivan
“having dark eyes”
91% boys · 9% girls
Callahan
Callahan is a masculine given name from Irish.
90% boys · 10% girls
Lachlan
“from the land of the lochs” · “from the land of lakes”
96% boys · 4% girls