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 ("advice", "decision") 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.
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People with the name
Ronald I of Buganda
Ronald Acuña Jr., Venezuelan baseball player
Ronald Alcock (died 1991), British stamp dealer and philatelic speaker
Ronald Alley (1926–1999), British art historian and curator
Ronalds Arājs, Latvian athlete
Ronald Arculli, former chairman of Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing
Ronald Azuma, American computer scientist
Ronald Bandell (1946–2015), Dutch mayor
Ronald Bell (musician) (1951–2020), American saxophonist with Kool and the Gang
Sir Ronald Bell (1914–1982), British Conservative Member of Parliament
Ronald Boisvert, American politician
Ronald Breslow (1931–2017), American chemist
Ronald Burkle, American businessman
Ronald Castree, British child murderer
Ronald Cerritos, Salvadoran footballer
Ronald Cheng, Hong Kong pop star and movie actor
Ronalds Cinks, Latvian ice hockey player
Ronald D. Coleman, American politician
Ronald Colman, English actor
Ronald de Boer, Dutch football (soccer) player
Ronald DeFeo Jr, American mass murderer and family annihilator
Ronald dela Rosa (born 1962), Filipino politician and retired police general
Ronald Fielding Dodd (c.1890–1958), Scottish architect
Ronald Dominique (born 1964), prolific American serial killer and rapist
Ronald Dupree, American baseball player
Ronald Duncombe, Bahamian politician
Ronald Evans (1933–1990), American astronaut
Ronald Ferguson (polo), father of Sarah, Duchess of York
Ronald Ferguson (economist), American researcher of the racial education achievement gap
Ronald Fisher (1890–1962), British statistician and geneticist
Ronald Fletcher (1910–1996), English radio announcer and newsreader
Ronald Florijn, Dutch rower
Ronald J. Garan, Jr., American astronaut
Ronald Girones, Cuban judoka
Ronald Gora, American swimmer
Ronald Graham (1935–2020), American mathematician
Ronald Green (1944–2012), American-Israeli basketball player
Ronald McNeill, 1st Baron Cushendun, British Conservative politician
Ronald Max Hartwell, Australian historian
Ronald Harvey (cricketer), English cricketer
Ronald A. Heifetz, co-founder of the Center for Public Leadership at John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University
Ronald K. Hoeflin, American philosopher
Ronald Isley, R&B singer
Ronald M. James, American folklorist and historian
Ronald Jones (running back) (born 1997), American football player
Ronald Joseph (disambiguation), several people
Ronald Kapaz, Brazilian graphic designer
Ronalds Ķēniņš, Latvian ice hockey player
Ronald Kent Jr. (born 1999), American football player
Ronald Klink, Democratic politician and former United States Representative from Pennsylvania
Ronald Koeman, Dutch football (soccer) player and coach
Ronald Kray, English gangster
Ronald Lacey (1935–1991), British actor
Ronald Lanzoni, Costa Rican long-distance runner
Ronald Leung, Hong Kong politician and businessman in banking
Ronald dos Santos Lopes (born 1998), Brazilian footballer
Ronald Mallett, American physicist
Ronald Mason Jr., African-American university president
Rónald Matarrita, Costa Rican footballer
Ronald Méndez (born 1982), Venezuelan volleyball player
Ronald Michaud, American cartoonist
Ronald D. Moore, American screenwriter and television producer
Ronald Clark O'Bryan (1944–1984), American murderer
Ronald Patrick (born 1991), American football player
Ronald Pelton, American intelligence analyst and convicted spy
Ronald Pereira Martins (born 2001), Brazilian footballer
Ronald Pofalla (born 1959), German politician and manager
Ronald Powell (born 1991), American football player
Ronald Pearson (1959–2001), American actor, model and director
Ronald van Raak (born 1969), Dutch politician
Ronald A. Rasband (born 1951), American religious leader, member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Ronald Reagan (1911–2004), former actor, governor of California and 40th President of the United States
Ronald Reid-Daly (1928–2010), Rhodesian military commander
Ronald Ringsrud, US author and emerald expert
Ronald Rollie Robinson (born 1985), Canadian curler
Ronald Santanna Rodrigues (born 1997), Brazilian footballer
Ronald Russell (disambiguation), multiple people
Ronald S. Wilson (1933–1986), American psychologist and behavioral geneticist
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
Ronald Searle (1920–2011), British cartoonist
Ronald Lee Sheffield (born 1946), associate justice of the Arkansas Supreme Court
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
Ronald Venetiaan, former president of Suriname
Ronald Virag (born 1938), French cardiovascular surgeon
Ronald Wright (boxer), American professional boxer
Ronald E. Walters (born 1962), American government official
Ronald Zilberberg (born 1996), Israeli Olympic figure skater
Ronald Zoodsma (born 1966), Dutch volleyball player
Fictional characters
Ronald McDonald, mascot of McDonald's
Ronald Zellman, a character from The Sopranos
People with the surname
Allan Ronald (born 1938), Canadian doctor and microbiologist
Angelica Ronald, British psychologist
Bill Ronald (born 1949), Australian fencer
James Ronald (1861–1941), Australian politician
James T. Ronald (1855–1950), American politician
Landon Ronald (1873–1938), English conductor, composer and pianist
Mark Ronald, American engineer
Nigel Ronald (1894–1973), British diplomat
Norma Ronald (1930s–1993), British actress
Owen Ronald (born 1993), Scottish footballer
Pamela Ronald (born 1961), American geneticist
Paul Ronald (born 1971), Scottish footballer and manager
Peter Ronald (1889–1953), English footballer
Terry Ronald, British musician
Walter G. Ronald (1857–1936), American politician
William Ronald (1926–1998), Canadian painter