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.[See Searle's Onomasticon Anglo-Saxonicum, page 397.] In some cases Ronald is an Anglicised form of the Gaelic Raghnall, a name likewise derived from Rögnvaldr.[Hanks; Hardcastle; Hodges 2006 p. 407; Hanks; Hodges (2003) § Raghnall.] The latter name is composed of the Old Norse elements regin ("advice", "decision") and valdr ("ruler").[Hanks; Hardcastle; Hodges (2006) pp. 234, 407; Hanks; Hodges (2003) §§ Raghnall, Ragnvald.] 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. of Ronald include Roni[Hanks; Hardcastle; Hodges (2006) p. 234.] and Ronnie. Ronalda and Rhonda are feminine forms of Ronald.[Hanks; Hodges (2003) § 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
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Ronald I of Buganda
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Ronald Acuña, Venezuelan baseball player
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Ronald Alcock (died 1991), British stamp dealer and philatelic speaker
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Ronald Alley (1926–1999), British art historian and curator
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Ronalds Arājs, Latvian athlete
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Ronald Arculli, 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.
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Ron Atkinson, English football manager
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Ronald Azuma, American computer scientist
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Ronald Bandell (1946–2015), Dutch mayor
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Ronnie Barker (1929–2005), British comedian, known as one half of The Two Ronnies
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Ronnie Belliard, retired American baseball player
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Ronnie Biggs, British train robber
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Ron Blomberg (born 1948), American major league baseball player
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Ronald Breslow (1931–2017), American chemist
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Ronald Burkle, American businessman
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Ronnie Burns (actor), part-time actor best noted as the adopted son of George Burns and Gracie Allen
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Ronnie Burns (singer), Australian singer
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Ronnie Burns (footballer), former Australian rules footballer with the Geelong and Adelaide Football Clubs
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Ron Butlin (ice hockey) (1925–2014), Canadian ice hockey executive
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Ronald Castree, British child murderer
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Ronald Cerritos, Salvadoran footballer
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Ronald Cheng, Hong Kong pop star and movie actor
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Ron Chernow, American writer, journalist, historian and biographer
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Ronalds Cinks, Latvian ice hockey player
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Ronald D. Coleman, American politician
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Ronald Colman, English actor
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Ronnie Corbett, British comedian, known for his role as the other half of The Two Ronnies
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Ronald de Boer, Dutch football (soccer) player
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Ronald DeFeo Jr, American mass murder and family annihilator
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Ronald dela Rosa (born 1962), Filipino politician and retired police general
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Ronald de Mel (1925–2024), Sri Lanka Minister of Finance from 1977 to 1988
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Ron Dennis, British businessman
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Ron DeSantis, American politician
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Ronnie James Dio, American singer for Elf, Rainbow, Black Sabbath, Dio, and Heaven and Hell
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Ronald Fielding Dodd (c.1890–1958), Scottish architect
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Ronald Dominique (born 1964), prolific American serial killer and rapist
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Ronald dos Santos Lopes (born 1998), Brazilian footballer
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Ronnie Drew, Irish singer and a founding member of The Dubliners
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Ronald Dupree, American baseball player
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Ron Eldard, American actor
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Ronald Evans (1933–1990), American astronaut
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Ronald Ferguson (polo), father of Sarah, Duchess of York
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Ronald Ferguson (economist), American researcher of the racial education achievement gap
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Ronald Fisher (1890–1962), British statistician and geneticist
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Ronald Florijn, Dutch rower
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Ronald J. Garan, Jr., American astronaut
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Ronald Girones, Cuban judoka
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Ronald Gora, American swimmer
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Ronald Green (1944-2012), American-Israeli basketball player
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Ron McClure, Jazz bassist
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Ronald McNeill, 1st Baron Cushendun, British Conservative politician
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Ron Greenwood (1921–2006), English football player and manager
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Ron Guidry, American baseball pitcher, New York Yankees
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Ron Hackenberger (born 1935), American businessman and car collector
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Ronald Max Hartwell, Australian historian
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Ronald Harvey (cricketer), English cricketer
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Ronald A. Heifetz, co-founder of the Center for Public Leadership at John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University
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Ronald Herd, American professional wrestler
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Ronald K. Hoeflin, American philosopher
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Ronnie Holassie, Trinidad and Tobago long-distance runner
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Ron Horsley, American author and illustrator
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Ron Howard, American filmmaker and actor
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L. Ron Hubbard (1911–1986), American author and the founder of the Church of Scientology
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Ron Jeremy (born 1953), American pornographic actor, filmmaker, actor, and stand-up comedian
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Ronald Isley, R&B singer
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Ron Johnson (born 1955), senior United States senator for Wisconsin
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Ronald Jones (running back) (born 1997), American football player
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Ron Jones (athlete), British track and field athlete
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Ronald Joseph (disambiguation), several people
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Ronald Kapaz, Brazilian graphic designer
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Ron Keel (born 1961), heavy metal vocalist and guitarist for a number of bands from the 1980s to the modern day
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Ronalds Ķēniņš, Latvian ice hockey player
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Ronald Kent Jr. (born 1999), American football player
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Ron Kind, American congressman
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Ronald Klink, Democratic politician and former United States Representative from Pennsylvania
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Ronald Koeman, Dutch football (soccer) player and coach
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Ronald Kray, English gangster
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Ron LeFlore (athlete), Detroit Tigers
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Ronald Lacey (1935–1991), British actor
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Ronald Lanzoni, Costa Rican long-distance runner
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Dr. Ronald Leung, Hong Kong politician and businessman in banking
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Ron Mael, American musician and songwriter
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Ronald Mallett, American physicist
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Ronald Mason Jr., African-American university president
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Rónald Matarrita, Costa Rican footballer
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Ronald Méndez (born 1982), Venezuelan volleyball player
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Ronald Michaud, American cartoonist
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Ronald D. Moore, American screenwriter and television producer
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David Ronald Musgrove, Democratic politician and former governor of Mississippi, better known as "Ronnie Musgrove"
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Ronald Clark O'Bryan (1944-1984), American murderer
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Ronnie O'Sullivan, British snooker player
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Ronald Patrick (born 1991), American football player
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Ron Paul, Texan congressman
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Ronald Pelton, American intelligence analyst and convicted spy
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Ronald Pereira Martins (born 2001), Brazilian footballer
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Ron Perlman (born 1950), American actor
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Ron Petersen (born 1934), American mycologist using the standard author abbreviation "R.H.Petersen"
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Ronald Pofalla (born 1959), German politician and manager
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Ronald Powell (born 1991), American football player
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Ronald van Raak (born 1969), Dutch politician
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Ronald Reagan (1911–2004), former actor, Governor of California and 40th President of the United States
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Ronald Reid-Daly (1928–2010), Rhodesian military commander
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Ronald Ringsrud, US author and emerald expert
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Ron Rivest, American cryptographer
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Ronald Santanna Rodrigues (born 1997), Brazilian footballer
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Ronald Russell (disambiguation), Multiple people
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Ron Saunders (1932–2019), English football player and manager
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Ronald Scobie (1893–1969), British Army officer
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Bon Scott, lead singer of AC/DC from 1974 to 1980
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Ronald Schill, German judge and politician
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Ronald L. Schlicher, American diplomat
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Ronald Alan Schulz (1965–2005), American civilian contract worker killed in Iraq
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Ronnie Schneider, American Rock and roll manager
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Ronald Searle (1920–2011), British cartoonist
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Ron Sexmith (born 1964), Canadian singer-songwriter
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Ronald Gene Simmons (1940-1990), American spree killer and family annihilator
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Ronald Steele, American basketball player
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Ronald Stretton, British track cyclist
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John Ronald Reuel Tolkien (1892–1973), British writer
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Ronald "Ronnie" Turner (1960-2022), American actor, singer, and youngest son of Tina Turner
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Ron Underwood, American film director
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Ronnie Vannucci, Jr., American musician and member of The Killers
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Ronnie Van Zant (1948–1977), American musician
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Ronald Venetiaan, former president of Suriname
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Ronald Virag (born 1938), French cardiovascular surgeon
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Ron Washington (born 1952), American baseball player and manager
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Ronald "Ronnie" Washington (born 1963), American football player
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Ronnie Wood (born 1947), British rock musician (The Rolling Stones), and artist
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Ronald Wright (boxer), American professional boxer
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Ronalds Žagars (born 1950), Latvian former football goalkeeper
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Ronald Zilberberg (born 1996), Israeli Olympic figure skater
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Ronald Zoodsma (born 1966), Dutch volleyball player
Fictional people with the name
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Ronald Miller, a character in the American teen romantic comedy 1987 film Can't Buy Me Love
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Ronald McCrea, nicknamed "Ronnie", a character from
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Ronald McDonald, mascot of McDonald's
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Ronald the Cat, Nature Cat's next-door neighbor and arch-enemy
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Ron Stoppable, Kim Possible's sidekick from the Disney animated series Kim Possible
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Ron Swanson, the mustachioed libertarian director of the eponymous department in the sitcom Parks and Recreation
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Ron Weasley, a main character in Harry Potter, best friend of the title character
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Ronnie Raymond, DC Comics character
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Ronald "Red" Daniels, main protagonist of .
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Ronald Knox, a character in Black Butler
See also
Citations