Boy name#28 of boy names
Ronald
Pronounced R AA1 N AH0 L D (ARPABET)
- 2 syllables
- Peaked 1947
- 142 years in use
- 1 spelling
How popular is Ronald?
Ronald is a boys' name, and first appears in 1883. It has been given to 1,086,455 children — the 28th most common boys' name on record.
It has been slipping, down 43% on the previous decade. Its best single year was 1947, when 34,924 children were given it.
Ronnald is counted with it here, since the two are pronounced identically.
Spelling variants
These spellings sound identical to Ronald and are counted together with it, which is why the totals here are higher than a single-spelling count.
- Ronnald
Nicknames
Characteristics
- 2 syllables
Phonetic detail
- Pronunciations:
- R AA1 N AH0 L D
- Stress pattern:
- 10
- Syllables:
- 2
Stress digits mark unstressed (0), primary (1) and secondary (2) syllables.
Names like Ronald
Same first letter and syllable count, peaking around the same time.
Sibling names for Ronald
Names from the same era with a matching rhythm but a different initial.
Frequently asked questions
- How popular is the name Ronald?
- Ronald ranks 28th among boys' names in US records, with 1,086,455 births since 1883. Over the past decade it accounts for 5,708.
- Is Ronald a unisex name?
- No. Ronald is recorded almost entirely as a boys' name; births to the other gender are too few to register as a share.
- When was Ronald most popular?
- 1947, when 34,924 children were given the name. It has been in use for 142 years and is still recorded as of 2024.
- What are common nicknames for Ronald?
- Ron, Ronnie. These are recorded as separate names in their own right, so each has its own page and its own popularity curve.
- How else is Ronald spelled?
- Ronnald. All of these sound the same and are counted together in the totals on this page.