Ronald
- Gender
- Boy
- Say it
- RON-ald
- Origin
- Old Norse
- UK rank, 2025
- #675 for boys
- US rank, 2025
- #637 for boys
Ronald is a boys' name of Old Norse origin, meaning “counsel and rule”. In 2025 it ranked 675th for boys in the UK (59 babies) and 637th for boys in the US (438 babies).
What does Ronald mean?
Old Norse: Scottish form of Norse Rögnvaldr
“counsel and rule”
The Scottish form of the Old Norse Rögnvaldr, brought by Viking settlers; it shares its roots with Reginald.
More on Wiktionary.
Is Ronald a girl's or a boy's name?
Ronald is a boys' name. In 2025, it was given to 59 boys in the UK and 438 boys in the US. Too few girls were given it to be listed.
How popular is Ronald in the UK?
- Rank in 2025
- #675among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 59about 1 in 5,100 boys
- Five-year trend
- Steadydown 13% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1%chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 59 boys in the UK were named Ronald, making it the 675th most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 719th. Its busiest year was 2018, with 69 boys.
Half of all the boys named Ronald in the UK since 1996 were born between 2006 and 2020. It was already well used in 1996, when the records begin, so earlier boys aren't counted.
Among boys in 2025, it was 627th in England and Wales.
In the England and Wales top 100 for boys, which the ONS has published every ten years since 1904: 1904 (#41), 1914 (#21), 1924 (#6), 1934 (#8), 1944 (#26), 1954 (#43) and 1964 (#80).
Ronald in the UK, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 59 | #675 |
| 2024 | 46 | #803 |
| 2023 | 52 | #730 |
| 2022 | 57 | #681 |
| 2021 | 69 | #608 |
| 2020 | 52 | #719 |
| 2019 | 60 | #656 |
| 2018 | 69 | #594 |
| 2017 | 54 | #717 |
| 2016 | 49 | #762 |
| 2015 | 46 | #776 |
| 2014 | 40 | #850 |
| 2013 | 46 | #768 |
| 2012 | 32 | #1,003 |
| 2011 | 37 | #878 |
| 2010 | 27 | #1,085 |
| 2009 | 37 | #854 |
| 2008 | 45 | #734 |
| 2007 | 43 | #731 |
| 2006 | 28 | #939 |
| 2005 | 38 | #742 |
| 2004 | 27 | #864 |
| 2003 | 28 | #808 |
| 2002 | 23 | #865 |
| 2001 | 22 | #845 |
| 2000 | 33 | #620 |
| 1999 | 25 | #736 |
| 1998 | 42 | #518 |
| 1997 | 26 | #690 |
| 1996 | 31 | #590 |
How popular is Ronald in the US?
- Rank in 2025
- #637among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 438about 1 in 3,900 boys
- Five-year trend
- Steadydown 15% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1%chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 438 boys in the US were named Ronald, making it the 637th most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 558th. Its busiest year was 1947, with 34,899 boys. It first appears in the records in 1883.
2025 had fewer boys named Ronald than any year since 1913.
Half of all the boys named Ronald in the US since 1880 were born between 1944 and 1964, the years shaded on the chart below.
Ronald in the US, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 438 | #637 |
| 2024 | 497 | #575 |
| 2023 | 457 | #611 |
| 2022 | 532 | #559 |
| 2021 | 505 | #562 |
| 2020 | 503 | #558 |
| 2019 | 541 | #526 |
| 2018 | 588 | #490 |
| 2017 | 660 | #459 |
| 2016 | 728 | #429 |
| 2015 | 704 | #434 |
| 2014 | 791 | #394 |
| 2013 | 745 | #402 |
| 2012 | 797 | #378 |
| 2011 | 889 | #342 |
| 2010 | 913 | #343 |
| 2009 | 926 | #341 |
| 2008 | 1,089 | #307 |
| 2007 | 1,175 | #292 |
| 2006 | 1,374 | #249 |
| 2005 | 1,302 | #255 |
| 2004 | 1,450 | #232 |
| 2003 | 1,406 | #237 |
| 2002 | 1,521 | #227 |
| 2001 | 1,652 | #212 |
| 2000 | 1,750 | #203 |
| 1999 | 1,872 | #186 |
| 1998 | 1,847 | #182 |
| 1997 | 2,096 | #164 |
| 1996 | 2,229 | #156 |
| 1995 | 2,400 | #146 |
| 1994 | 2,564 | #137 |
| 1993 | 2,882 | #122 |
| 1992 | 3,222 | #112 |
| 1991 | 3,670 | #101 |
| 1990 | 3,899 | #97 |
| 1989 | 4,110 | #85 |
| 1988 | 4,173 | #79 |
| 1987 | 4,153 | #73 |
| 1986 | 4,224 | #75 |
| 1985 | 4,299 | #71 |
| 1984 | 4,507 | #67 |
| 1983 | 4,702 | #64 |
| 1982 | 5,207 | #60 |
| 1981 | 5,538 | #59 |
| 1980 | 5,757 | #58 |
| 1979 | 5,694 | #54 |
| 1978 | 5,758 | #55 |
| 1977 | 6,026 | #53 |
| 1976 | 6,457 | #49 |
| 1975 | 7,064 | #46 |
| 1974 | 7,667 | #42 |
| 1973 | 8,327 | #40 |
| 1972 | 9,502 | #32 |
| 1971 | 11,617 | #31 |
| 1970 | 13,618 | #29 |
| 1969 | 14,618 | #29 |
| 1968 | 15,415 | #25 |
| 1967 | 16,443 | #24 |
| 1966 | 16,952 | #24 |
| 1965 | 17,619 | #24 |
| 1964 | 18,844 | #24 |
| 1963 | 19,780 | #23 |
| 1962 | 19,963 | #25 |
| 1961 | 20,842 | #24 |
| 1960 | 21,714 | #21 |
| 1959 | 23,114 | #21 |
| 1958 | 24,824 | #19 |
| 1957 | 27,209 | #17 |
| 1956 | 27,725 | #15 |
| 1955 | 26,172 | #18 |
| 1954 | 27,625 | #15 |
| 1953 | 27,713 | #15 |
| 1952 | 27,800 | #15 |
| 1951 | 29,049 | #12 |
| 1950 | 29,908 | #12 |
| 1949 | 31,502 | #11 |
| 1948 | 33,527 | #10 |
| 1947 | 34,899 | #11 |
| 1946 | 31,858 | #10 |
| 1945 | 23,665 | #10 |
| 1944 | 25,513 | #10 |
| 1943 | 29,239 | #9 |
| 1942 | 27,138 | #9 |
| 1941 | 24,407 | #9 |
| 1940 | 20,741 | #10 |
| 1939 | 19,837 | #10 |
| 1938 | 20,295 | #10 |
| 1937 | 18,141 | #11 |
| 1936 | 16,917 | #12 |
| 1935 | 15,489 | #12 |
| 1934 | 14,088 | #11 |
| 1933 | 12,061 | #12 |
| 1932 | 11,143 | #16 |
| 1931 | 6,726 | #27 |
| 1930 | 5,635 | #37 |
| 1929 | 4,479 | #45 |
| 1928 | 3,969 | #50 |
| 1927 | 3,115 | #63 |
| 1926 | 2,283 | #88 |
| 1925 | 1,674 | #104 |
| 1924 | 1,360 | #130 |
| 1923 | 1,148 | #142 |
| 1922 | 1,042 | #147 |
| 1921 | 992 | #154 |
| 1920 | 832 | #168 |
| 1919 | 784 | #171 |
| 1918 | 751 | #176 |
| 1917 | 766 | #165 |
| 1916 | 723 | #165 |
| 1915 | 763 | #155 |
| 1914 | 541 | #163 |
| 1913 | 417 | #166 |
| 1912 | 302 | #191 |
| 1911 | 136 | #218 |
| 1910 | 118 | #214 |
| 1909 | 93 | #225 |
| 1908 | 75 | #245 |
| 1907 | 88 | #215 |
| 1906 | 76 | #225 |
| 1905 | 51 | #277 |
| 1904 | 50 | #270 |
| 1903 | 52 | #253 |
| 1902 | 49 | #267 |
| 1901 | 42 | #265 |
| 1900 | 40 | #343 |
| 1899 | 27 | #346 |
| 1898 | 26 | #385 |
| 1897 | 34 | #316 |
| 1896 | 23 | #407 |
| 1895 | 25 | #383 |
| 1894 | 21 | #412 |
| 1893 | 8 | #768 |
| 1892 | 17 | #480 |
| 1891 | 8 | #699 |
| 1890 | 20 | #405 |
| 1889 | 10 | #628 |
| 1888 | 15 | #505 |
| 1887 | 8 | #679 |
| 1886 | 13 | #512 |
| 1885 | 0 | – |
| 1884 | 11 | #570 |
| 1883 | 6 | #798 |
Nicknames for Ronald
Names like Ronald
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
Ronnie Reginald Robin Ralph Eric Vincent Reggie Rudy Alfred Edward David Tommy
Names related to Ronald
More Old Norse names
Freya Astrid Colby Rafe Odin Ralphie Erik Freyja Erick Bo Bjorn Erica Raife Ivar Gunnar Dustin
Sources
Figures from Baby names in England and Wales (Office for National Statistics), Babies' first names (National Records of Scotland), Baby names (Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency) and Popular Baby Names (US Social Security Administration). Nameling last updated them on 20 October 2026. How the figures are worked out, and the data to download.
To cite this page: Nameling, “Ronald: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/ronald, updated 20 October 2026.