Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jun 30, 2026

Ronald

Ronald is a masculine given name derived from the Old Norse Rögnvaldr, or possibly from Old English Regenweald. In some cases Ronald is an Anglicised form of the Gaelic Raghnall, a name likewise derived from Rögnvaldr. The latter name is composed of the Old Norse elements regin and valdr ("ruler"). Ronald was originally used in England and Scotland, where Scandinavian influences were once substantial, although now the name is common throughout the English-speaking world. A short form of Ronald is Ron. Pet forms of Ronald include Roni and Ronnie. Ronalda and Rhonda are feminine forms of Ronald. Rhona, a modern name apparently only dating back to the late nineteenth century, may have originated as a feminine form of Ronald. The names Renaud/Renault and Reynold/Reinhold are cognates from French and German respectively. The name Ronaldo is a cognate from Spanish and Portuguese.

Last revised
Jun 30, 2026
Read time
≈ 7 min
Length
1,572 w
Citations
11
Source
Wikipedia ↗
Ronald
Pronunciation/ˈrɒnəld/1
GenderMale
LanguageEnglish
Origin
LanguagesOld Norse, Old English
Word/nameRögnvaldr, Regenweald
Derivationregin + valdr or regen + weald
Meaning"advice", "decision" + "ruler"
Other names
Short formRon
Pet formsRoni, Ronnie, Ronny
Related namesRagnall, Ronalda, Rhona, Ronaldo, Reynold, Rainald, Renaud, Reinhold, Reginald, Rognvald

Ronald is a masculine given name derived from the Old Norse Rögnvaldr,2 or possibly from Old English Regenweald.3 In some cases Ronald is an Anglicised form of the Gaelic Raghnall, a name likewise derived from Rögnvaldr.4 The latter name is composed of the Old Norse elements regin ("advice", "decision") and valdr ("ruler").5 Ronald was originally used in England and Scotland, where Scandinavian influences were once substantial, although now the name is common throughout the English-speaking world.2 A short form of Ronald is Ron.2 Pet forms of Ronald include Roni6 and Ronnie.2 Ronalda and Rhonda are feminine forms of Ronald.7 Rhona, a modern name apparently only dating back to the late nineteenth century, may have originated as a feminine form of Ronald.8 The names Renaud/Renault and Reynold/Reinhold are cognates from French and German respectively. The name Ronaldo is a cognate from Spanish and Portuguese.

People with the name

Fictional people with the name

People with the surname

See also

See also

Citations

Citations

  1. Jones (1986) p. 427.
  2. Hanks; Hardcastle; Hodges (2006) p. 234; Hanks; Hodges (2003) § Ronald.
  3. See Searle's Onomasticon Anglo-Saxonicum, page 397.
  4. Hanks; Hardcastle; Hodges 2006 p. 407; Hanks; Hodges (2003) § Raghnall.
  5. Hanks; Hardcastle; Hodges (2006) pp. 234, 407; Hanks; Hodges (2003) §§ Raghnall, Ragnvald.
  6. Hanks; Hardcastle; Hodges (2006) p. 234.
  7. Hanks; Hodges (2003) § Ronald.
  8. Hanks; Hardcastle; Hodges (2006) pp. 230, 408; Hanks; Hodges (2003) § Rhona.
References

References