Ronald is a masculine given name derived from the

Old Norse Old Norse, Old Nordic, or Old Scandinavian, is a stage of development of North Germanic languages, North Germanic dialects before their final divergence into separate Nordic languages. Old Norse was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and t ...

Rögnvaldr Ragnvald, Rögnvald or Rognvald or Rægnald is an Old Norse name (Old Norse ''Rǫgnvaldr'', modern Icelandic ''Rögnvaldur''; in Old English ''Regenweald'' and in Old Irish, Middle Irish '' Ragnall''). Notable people with the name include: * Rag ...

'', Hanks; Hardcastle; Hodges (2006) p. 234; Hanks; Hodges (2003) § Ronald. or possibly from Old English '' Regenweald''. In some cases ''Ronald'' is an

Anglicised Anglicisation is the process by which a place or person becomes influenced by English culture or British culture, or a process of cultural and/or linguistic change in which something non-English becomes English. It can also refer to the influen ...

form of the Gaelic '' Raghnall'', a name likewise derived from ''Rögnvaldr''. The latter name is composed of the Old Norse elements ''regin'' ("advice", "decision") and ''valdr'' ("ruler"). ''Ronald'' was originally used in

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...

and

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to th ...

, where Scandinavian influences were once substantial, although now the name is common throughout the

English-speaking world Speakers of English are also known as Anglophones, and the countries where English is natively spoken by the majority of the population are termed the ''Anglosphere''. Over two billion people speak English , making English the largest languag ...

. 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''. Hanks; Hardcastle; Hodges (2006) pp. 230, 408; Hanks; Hodges (2003) § Rhona. 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

* Ronald I of Buganda *

Ronald Acuña Ronald is a masculine given name derived from the Old Norse ''Rögnvaldr'', Hanks; Hardcastle; Hodges (2006) p. 234; Hanks; Hodges (2003) § Ronald. or possibly from Old English '' Regenweald''. In some cases ''Ronald'' is an Anglicised form ...

, Venezuelan baseball player *

Ronald Alcock Ronald Cecil Alcock (26 March 1905 – 6 July 1991) was a British stamp dealer and philatelic publisher notable for writing or publishing some of the key works in British philately. He collaborated with Captain Frank Holland in many of his work ...

(died 1991), British stamp dealer and philatelic speaker *

Ronalds Arājs Ronalds Arājs (born 29 November 1987 in Tukums) is a Latvian athlete. Arājs is the current Latvian record holder in the 100 metres sprint, having a personal best of 10.18 seconds. His personal record in the 200 metres is 20.75 seconds. Arājs ...

, Latvian athlete *

Ronald Arculli Ronald Joseph Arculli, GBM, GBS, CVO, OBE, JP (; born 2 January 1939 in Hong Kong) is former chairman of Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing, Non-official Members Convenor of the Executive Council of Hong Kong (Exco) and a senior partner at ...

, Former chairman of Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing, Non-official Members Convenor of the Executive Council of Hong Kong (Exco) and a senior partner at King & Wood Mallesons. *

Ron Atkinson Ronald Frederick Atkinson (born 18 March 1939), commonly known as "Big Ron" or "Mr. Bojangles", is an English former football player and manager. In the 1990s and early 2000s, he was regarded as one of Britain's best-known football pundits. Ni ...

, English football manager *

Ronald Bandell Ronald Johan Gottlieb Bandell (24 August 1946 – 16 November 2015) was a Dutch civil servant and politician of the Political Party of Radicals (PPR) and later the Labour Party (PvdA). Bandell was born in Gouda. He was mayor of Moordrecht (197 ...

(1946–2015), Dutch mayor *

Ronnie Barker Ronald William George Barker (25 September 1929 – 3 October 2005) was an English actor, comedian and writer. He was known for roles in British comedy television series such as '' Porridge'', ''The Two Ronnies'', and ''Open All Hours''. ...

(1929–2005), British comedian, known as one half of The Two Ronnies *

Ronnie Belliard Ronald Belliard (born April 7, 1975) is an American former professional baseball second baseman. He played 13 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1998 to 2010 for the Milwaukee Brewers, Colorado Rockies, Cleveland Indians, St. Louis Cardi ...

, retired American baseball player *

Ronnie Biggs Ronald Arthur Biggs (8 August 1929 – 18 December 2013) was an English criminal who helped plan and carry out the Great Train Robbery of 1963. He subsequently became notorious for his escape from prison in 1965, living as a fugitive for 36 y ...

, British train robber *

Ron Blomberg Ronald Mark Blomberg (born August 23, 1948), nicknamed "Boomer", is an American former professional baseball player and minor league manager. He played in Major League Baseball as a designated hitter, first baseman, and right fielder. He playe ...

(born 1948), American major league baseball player * Ronald Burkle, American businessman * Ronnie Burns (actor), part-time actor best noted as the adopted son of George Burns and Gracie Allen *

Ronnie Burns (Australian) Ronald Leslie Burns AM (born 8 September 1946) is an Australian retired rock singer-songwriter and musician. He fronted the Melbourne band "The Flies" in the early 1960s, followed by a solo career into the 1970s and was a member of Burns Cot ...

, Australian singer * Ronnie Burns (footballer), former Australian rules footballer with the Geelong and Adelaide Football Clubs *

Ron Butlin (ice hockey) Ronald James Butlin (August 8, 1925September 24, 2014) was a Canadian ice hockey executive. He was president of the Western Canada Hockey League (WCHL) from 1968 to 1971, when the league separated from the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association ...

(1925–2014), Canadian ice hockey executive * Ronald Castree, British child murderer * Ronald Cerritos, Salvadoran footballer * Ronald Cheng, Hong Kong pop star and movie actor * Ron Chernow, American writer, journalist, historian and biographer * Ronalds Cinks, Latvian ice hockey player * Ronald D. Coleman, American politician *

Ronald Colman Ronald Charles Colman (9 February 1891 – 19 May 1958) was an English-born actor, starting his career in theatre and silent film in his native country, then immigrating to the United States and having a successful Hollywood film career. He wa ...

, English actor *

Ronnie Corbett Ronald Balfour Corbett (4 December 1930 – 31 March 2016) was a Scottish actor, broadcaster, comedian and writer. He had a long association with Ronnie Barker in the BBC television comedy sketch show '' The Two Ronnies''. He achieved promin ...

, British comedian, known for his role as the other half of The Two Ronnies * Ronald de Boer, Dutch football (soccer) player * Ronald DeFeo Jr, American mass murder and family annihilator *

Ronald dela Rosa Ronald Marapon dela Rosa (born January 21, 1962), also known as Bato, is a Filipinos, Filipino politician and retired police officer who is currently serving as a Senate of the Philippines, senator of the Philippines since 2019. He served under ...

(born 1962), Filipino politician and retired police general * Ronald de Mel (born 1925), Sri Lanka Minister of Finance from 1977 to 1988 * Ron Dennis, British businessman *

Ron DeSantis Ronald Dion DeSantis (; born September 14, 1978) is an American politician serving as the 46th governor of Florida since January 2019. A member of the Republican Party, DeSantis represented Florida's 6th district in the U.S. House of Represe ...

, American politician *

Ronnie James Dio Ronald James Padavona (July 10, 1942 – May 16, 2010), known professionally as Ronnie James Dio, was an American heavy metal singer. He fronted and founded numerous bands throughout his career, including Elf, Rainbow, Black Sabbath, Dio and ...

, American singer for Elf, Rainbow, Black Sabbath, Dio, and Heaven and Hell * Ronald Fielding Dodd (c.1890–1958), Scottish architect *

Ronald Dominique Ronald Joseph Dominique (born January 9, 1964), known as The Bayou Strangler, is an American serial killer and rapist who murdered at least 23 men and boys in the state of Louisiana between 1997 and 2006. On September 23, 2008, Dominique was f ...

(born 1964), prolific American serial killer and rapist * Ronald dos Santos Lopes (born 1998), Brazilian footballer * Ronnie Drew, Irish singer and a founding member of The Dubliners * Ron Eldard, American actor * Ronald Evans (1933–1990), American astronaut * Ronald Ferguson, father of Sarah, Duchess of York * Ronald Ferguson (economist), American researcher of the racial education achievement gap *

Ronald Fisher Sir Ronald Aylmer Fisher (17 February 1890 – 29 July 1962) was a British polymath who was active as a mathematician, statistician, biologist, geneticist, and academic. For his work in statistics, he has been described as "a genius who ...

(1890–1962), British statistician and geneticist * Ronald Florijn, Dutch rower *

Ronald J. Garan, Jr. Ronald John Garan Jr. (born October 30, 1961) is a retired NASA astronaut. After graduating from State University of New York College at Oneonta in 1982, he joined the Air Force, becoming a Second Lieutenant in 1984. He became an F-16 pilot, a ...

, American astronaut *

Ronald Girones Ronald Girones (born May 10, 1983 in Guantánamo) is a male judoka from Cuba, who won the bronze medal in the men's lightweight division (– 73 kg) at the 2007 Pan American Games, alongside Canada's Nicholas Tritton. He represented his ...

, Cuban judoka * Ronald Gora, American swimmer * Ronald Green (1944-2012), American-Israeli basketball player * Ronald "Ronnie" Kray (1933-1995), English killer and robber *

Ron McClure Ron McClure (born November 22, 1941) is an American jazz bassist. Early life McClure was born in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. He started on piano at age five, and later played accordion and bass. McClure studied privately with Joseph I ...

, Jazz bassist * Ronald McNeill, 1st Baron Cushendun, British Conservative politician *

Ron Greenwood Ronald Greenwood CBE (11 November 1921 – 9 February 2006) was an English football player and manager, best known for being manager of the English national football team from 1977 until 1982, as well as being manager of West Ham United for ...

(1921–2006), English football player and manager *

Ron Guidry Ronald Ames Guidry (; born August 28, 1950), nicknamed "Louisiana Lightning" and "Gator", is an American former professional baseball pitcher who played 14 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Yankees. Guidry was also the pitch ...

, American baseball pitcher, New York Yankees *

Ron Hackenberger Ronald Ray Hackenberger (born 1935/1936) is an American businessman and car collector. He started as a truck driver, and then ran his own trucking business, before moving into ranching, real estate, and hospitality. He bought his first Stu ...

(born 1935), American businessman and car collector * Ronald Max Hartwell, Australian historian * Ronald Harvey (cricketer), English cricketer * Ronald A. Heifetz, cofounder of the Center for Public Leadership at John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University * Ronald Herd, American professional wrestler * Ronald K. Hoeflin, American philosopher * Ronald Holassie, Trinidad and Tobago long-distance runner * Ron Horsley, American author and illustrator * Ronald "Ron" Howard, American filmmaker and actor * L. Ron Hubbard (1911–1986), American author and the founder of the Church of Scientology * Ronald Jeremy Hyatt (born 1953), American pornographic actor, filmmaker, actor, and stand-up comedian *

Ronald Isley Ronald Isley (; born May 21, 1941) is an American recording artist, songwriter, record producer, and occasional actor. Isley is the lead singer and founding member of the family music group The Isley Brothers. Early life Born in 1941 to Sall ...

, R&B singer * Ron Johnson (born 1955), senior United States senator for Wisconsin * Ronald Jones (running back) (born 1997), American football player * Ron Jones (athlete), British track and field athlete * Ronald Joseph, American figure skater *

Ron Keel Ron is a shortening of the name Ronald. Ron or RON may also refer to: Arts and media * Big Ron (''EastEnders''), a TV character * Ron (''King of Fighters''), a video game character *Ron Douglas, the protagonist in '' Lucky Stiff'' played by Joe ...

(born 1961), heavy metal vocalist and guitarist for a number of bands from the 1980s to the modern day *

Ronalds Ķēniņš Ronalds Ķēniņš (born February 28, 1991) is a Latvian professional ice hockey forward currently playing for Lausanne HC of the National League (NL). He previously played for the Vancouver Canucks of the National Hockey League (NHL). Playing c ...

, Latvian ice hockey player *

Ron Kind Ronald James Kind (born March 16, 1963) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the U.S. representative for , since 1997. He is a member of the Democratic Party. The district is in the western part of the state and is anchored by La Crosse ...

, American congressman * Ronald Klink, Democratic politician and former United States Representative from Pennsylvania *

Ronald Koeman Ronald Koeman (; born 21 March 1963) is a Dutch professional football manager and former player. He is the younger brother of his former international teammate Erwin Koeman and the son of former Dutch international Martin Koeman. Koeman was ca ...

, Dutch football (soccer) player and coach * Ron LeFlore (athlete), Detroit Tigers * Ronald Lacey (1935–1991) British actor * Ronald Lanzoni, Costa Rican long-distance runner * Dr. Ronald Leung, Hong Kong politician and businessman in banking * Ron Mael, American musician and songwriter * Ronald Mallett, American physicist *

Ronald Mason Jr. Ronald Francis Mason Jr. (born January 15, 1953) is an American lawyer and university administrator, serving as the ninth president of the University of the District of Columbia (UDC). He took office in July 2015. This is Mason's third presidentia ...

, African-American university president * Rónald Matarrita, Costa Rican footballer * Ronald Méndez, Venezuelan volleyball player *

Ronald D. Moore Ronald Dowl Moore (born July 5, 1964) is an American screenwriter and television producer. He is best known for his work on ''Star Trek''; on the re-imagined ''Battlestar Galactica'' television series, for which he won a Peabody Award and an Em ...

, American screenwriter and television producer *

David Ronald Musgrove David Ronald Musgrove (born July 29, 1956) is an American lawyer and Democratic Party (United States), Democratic politician who served as the List of Lieutenant Governors of Mississippi, 29th Lieutenant Governor of Mississippi from January 16, 19 ...

, Democratic politician and former governor of Mississippi, better known as "Ronnie Musgrove" * Ronald Clark O'Bryan (1944-1984), American murderer * Ronnie O'Sullivan, British snooker player * Ronald Patrick (born 1991), American football player *

Ron Paul Ronald Ernest Paul (born August 20, 1935) is an American author, activist, physician and retired politician who served as the U.S. representative for Texas's 22nd congressional district from 1976 to 1977 and again from 1979 to 1985, as we ...

, Texan congressman * Ronald Pelton, American intelligence analyst and convicted spy *

Ronald Pereira Martins Ronald Pereira Martins (born 14 June 2001), simply known as Ronald, is a Brazilian footballer who plays as a forward for Estrela da Amadora, on loan from Grêmio Anápolis. Club career Born in Corumbá, Mato Grosso do Sul, Ronald began his car ...

(born 2001), Brazilian footballer *

Ron Perlman Ronald Perlman (born April 13, 1950) is an American actor. His credits include the roles of Amoukar in '' Quest for Fire'' (1981), Salvatore in ''The Name of the Rose'' (1986), Vincent in the television series ''Beauty and the Beast'' (1987–19 ...

, American actor * Ron Petersen (b. 1934), American mycologist using the standard author abbreviation "R.H.Petersen" * Ronald Pofalla (born 1959), German politician and manager *

Ronald Powell Ronald Fredrick Powell (born May 14, 1991) is a former American football linebacker . He was drafted by the New Orleans Saints in the fifth round of the 2014 NFL Draft. He played college football at University of Florida. High school career A ...

(born 1991), American football player * Ronald van Raak (born 1969), Dutch politician * Ronald Reagan (1911–2004), former actor, Governor of California and 40th President of the United States *

Ronald Reid-Daly Ronald Francis Reid-Daly (22 September 1928 – 9 August 2010) was a Rhodesian military officer who founded and commanded the Selous Scouts special forces unit that fought during the Rhodesian Bush War. Career Reid-Daly, who was born ...

(1928–2010), Rhodesian military commander * Ronald Ringsrud, US author and emerald expert *

Ron Rivest Ronald Linn Rivest (; born May 6, 1947) is a cryptographer and an Institute Professor at MIT. He is a member of MIT's Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EECS) and a member of MIT's Computer Science and Artificial Int ...

, American cryptographer * Ronald Santanna Rodrigues (born 1997), Brazilian footballer * Ron Saunders (1932–2019), English football player and manager * Ronald Scobie (1893–1969), British Army officer * Ronald "Bon" Scott, lead singer of AC/DC from 1974 to 1980 * Ronald Schill, German judge and politician * Ronald L. Schlicher, American diplomat * Ronald Alan Schulz (1965–2005), American civilian contract worker killed in Iraq * Ronnie Schneider, American Rock and roll manager *

Ronald Searle Ronald William Fordham Searle, Commander of the Order of the British Empire, CBE, Royal Designers for Industry, RDI (3 March 1920 – 30 December 2011) was an English artist and satirical cartoonist, comics artist, sculptor, medal designer and i ...

(1920–2011), British cartoonist * Ronald "Ron" Sexmith (born 1964), Canadian singer-songwriter * Ronald Gene Simmons (1940-1990), American spree killer and family annihilator * Ronald Steele, American basketball player * Ronald Stretton, British track cyclist * John Ronald Reuel Tolkien (1892–1973), British writer *

Ron Underwood Ronald Brian Underwood (born November 6, 1953) is an American film and television director, known for directing such films as '' Tremors'' (1990), '' City Slickers'' (1991), ''Heart and Souls'' (1993),'' and Mighty Joe Young'' (1998). Early ...

, American film director * Ronnie Vannucci, Jr., American musician and member of

The Killers The Killers are an American Rock music, rock band formed in Las Vegas in 2001 by Brandon Flowers (lead vocals, keyboards, bass) and Dave Keuning (lead guitar, backing vocals). After going through a number of short-term bass players and drum ...

Ronnie Van Zant Ronald Wayne Van Zant (January 15, 1948 – October 20, 1977) was an American singer, best known as the original lead vocalist, primary lyricist and a founding member of the southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd. He is the older brother of current ...

(1948–1977), American musician * Ronald Venetiaan, former president of Suriname * Ronald Washington (born 1952), American baseball player and manager *

Ronnie Wood Ronald David Wood (born 1 June 1947) is an English rock musician, best known as an official member of the Rolling Stones since 1975, as well as a member of Faces and the Jeff Beck Group. Wood began his career in 1964, playing guitar with a ...

, British rock musician (

The Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for six decades, they are one of the most popular and enduring bands of the rock era. In the early 1960s, the Rolling Stones pioneered the gritty, rhythmically d ...

), and artist *

Ronald Wright (boxer) Ronald Lamont "Winky" Wright (born November 26, 1971) is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1990 to 2012. He is a two-time light middleweight world champion and was the last to hold the undisputed title at that weight until ...

American professional boxer * Ronalds Žagars, Latvian former football goalkeeper * Dr Ronald Maj (born 1989), Polish-Australian Doctor of Philosophy *

Ronald Zilberberg Ronald Zilberberg (born 4 April 1996) is an Israeli Olympic figure skater. He competed for Israel at the 2018 Winter Olympics with Adel Tankova in Figure Skating in ice dancing and a team event in Pyeongchang, South Korea. Early and personal li ...

(born 1996), Israeli Olympic figure skater * Ronald Zoodsma (born 1966), Dutch volleyball player

Fictional people with the name

* Ronald Miller, a character in the American teen romantic comedy 1987 film '' Can't Buy Me Love'' * Ronald McDonald, mascot of

McDonald's McDonald's Corporation is an American multinational fast food Fast food is a type of mass-produced food designed for commercial resale, with a strong priority placed on speed of service. It is a commercial term, limited to food sold ...

* Ronald the Cat, Nature Cat's next-door neighbor and arch-enemy * Ron Stoppable, Kim Possible's sidekick from the Disney animated series ''

Kim Possible ''Kim Possible'' is an American animated action comedy-adventure television series created by Bob Schooley and Mark McCorkle for Disney Channel. The title character is a teenage girl tasked with fighting crime on a regular basis while copi ...

'' * Ron Swanson, the mustachioed libertarian director of the eponymous department in the sitcom ''

Parks and Recreation ''Parks and Recreation'' (also known as ''Parks and Rec'') is an American political satire mockumentary sitcom television series created by Greg Daniels and Michael Schur. The series aired on NBC from April 9, 2009, to February 24, 2015, f ...

''. *

Ron Weasley Ronald Bilius Weasley is a fictional character in J. K. Rowling's ''Harry Potter'' fantasy novel series. His first appearance was in the first book of the series, ''Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'', as the best friend of Harry Potte ...

, a main character in ''

Harry Potter ''Harry Potter'' is a series of seven fantasy novels written by British author J. K. Rowling. The novels chronicle the lives of a young wizard, Harry Potter, and his friends Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley, all of whom are students a ...

'', best friend of the

title character The title character in a narrative work is one who is named or referred to in the title of the work. In a performed work such as a play or film, the performer who plays the title character is said to have the title role of the piece. The title of ...

* Ronald "Ronnie" Raymond, half of the

DC Comics DC Comics, Inc. (doing business as DC) is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book companies, with their f ...

superhero

Firestorm A firestorm is a conflagration which attains such intensity that it creates and sustains its own wind system. It is most commonly a natural phenomenon, created during some of the largest bushfires and wildfires. Although the term has been us ...

. * Ronald "Red" Daniels, main protagonist of '' Call of Duty: WWII''. * Ronald Knox, a reaper in the manga''

Black Butler is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Yana Toboso. It has been serialized in Square Enix's ''shōnen'' manga magazine '' Monthly GFantasy'' since September 2006. The series follows Ciel Phantomhive, the twelve-year-old ...

'' by

Yana Toboso is a Japanese manga artist. She was born in Warabi, Saitama Prefecture, Japan and currently resides in Yokohama. Selected works ''Rust Blaster ''Rust Blaster'' (stylized as ''RustBlaster'') is a Japanese manga series written and illust ...

Citations

References

* * * * {{given name Dutch masculine given names English-language masculine given names English masculine given names German masculine given names Scottish masculine given names Swedish masculine given names

People with the name

Fictional people with the name

See also

Citations

References