Ronald

Did you know?

A few things about Ronald you might not know, from US birth records and Wikipedia. Handy for convincing a partner, or a grandparent.

⭐ Famous Ronald

Ronald Ross

British doctor, Nobel laureate, writer, and artist (1857–1932)

Choose Ronald and your child shares a first name with Ronald Ross, a British doctor, Nobel laureate, writer, and artist. A ready-made answer when someone asks “Ronald, like who?” Ronald Ross's Wikipedia article is available in 94 languages, a good sign of just how widely known they are.

Read about Ronald Ross on Wikipedia ↗ (opens in a new tab)

Photo: Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain (opens in a new tab), via Wikimedia Commons

• 👶How commonAbout 1 in every 3,900 baby boys born in the US in 2025 was named Ronald, 438 babies in all. In a typical school of 500 kids, your Ronald would very likely be the only one.
• 📜HistoryRonald first shows up in US birth records in 1883, the first year at least 5 babies got it. It has been in use for 142 years since.
• 🏆Best yearIt was far more popular in 1943, when it ranked #9. Today it's #637, so it could be due a comeback.
• 📉Then vs nowRonald was 3.5× more common in 2000 than it is today. In 2000 it was given to about 1 in 1,122 baby boys; in 2025, about 1 in 3,900.
• 🍂TrendRonald has slipped 79 places over the last five years and now sits at #637. Good news if you want a familiar name that fewer kids will share.
• 📍Where it's lovedRonald is the #377 boy name in 2 states, including Idaho, New Jersey and New Jersey. It's in the top 1,000 in 26 states.
• 💬MeaningIn Scottish, Ronald means “ruler with counsel”. Our records link it to English, German and Old German roots.
• 🌍OriginRonald is the #6 most popular Old German boy name in the US. That's out of 21 Old German boy and unisex names in our list.

About the name Ronald

Ronald is a boy name of English, German and Old German origin meaning “ruler with counsel”. It has 6 letters and 2 syllables, starting with R and ending in “-ald”. US birth records list Ronald for boys from 1883 to 2025, in 142 of those 143 years. Its best year was 1943, when it ranked #9 among boy names. In 2025 it ranked #637, with 438 babies.

Origin:English namesGerman namesOld German namesOld Norse namesScottish names