Ronald

Norse
"ruler's counselor"

Ronald Origin and Meaning

The name Ronald is a boy's name of Scandinavian, Norse origin meaning "ruler's counselor".

To many people, Ronald is off playing shuffleboard with Donald, though others aren't swayed by its old man image. In the Top 10 in the late 1930s through the mid-1940s, the name later came to be strongly associated with President Reagan, along with his nicknames, Ron and Ronnie—as well as with the McDonald franchise mascot. A more youthful bearer is the likable character Ron Weasley in the Harry Potter series. In the early days of Hollywood, Ronald Colman was a dashing matinee idol.

It was the Vikings who brought the name to England and Scotland. In the US, it first appeared on the charts in 1883, moving up to the Top 20 from the 1930s to the 1950s.

# 612 in the US

Ronald Rank in US Top 1000

# 1573 on Nameberry

Ronald Rank in Nameberry Top 1000

Ronald Popularity

Famous People Named Ronald

  • Ronald Wilson Reagan
    40th U.S. president
  • Ronald William "Ron" Howard
    American actor director
  • Ronald Aylmer Fisher
    English statistician and geneticist
  • Ronald Charles Colman
    English actor
  • Ronald Isley
    American singer
  • Ronald Duddley Moore
    American screenwriter
  • (Arthur Annesley) Ronald Firbank
    British novelist
  • Ronald Fields
    better known by his stage name Cougnut, American rapper
  • Ronald Jason "Ron" Eldard
    American actor
  • Ronald Joseph "Ronnie" Radke
    American singer
  • Ronald Ross
    English physician and Nobel Prizewinner
  • Ronald Koeman
    Dutch footballer
  • Ronald George Wreyford Norrish
    winner of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry
  • Ronald Harry Coase
    winner of the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences
  • Ronald Wayne "Ron" Burkle
    American billionaire, investor and philanthropist
  • Ronald Belford "Bon" Scott
    Scottish born, Australian lead singer of AC/DC

Ronald in Pop Culture

  • Ronald "Ron" Swanson
    character in Parks and Recreation
  • Ronald "Ron" Stoppable
    character from Kim Possible
  • Ronald McDonald
    McDonald's mascot
  • Ronald "Mac" McDonald
    character on the TV series It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia
  • Ronald Leslie
    main character in G. A. Henty's, Bonnie Prince Charlie
  • Ronald "Ronnie" Raymond aka Firestorm
    character on TV's "The Flash"
  • Ronald Miller
    main character from the movie "Can't Buy Me Love"