The name Ronald is a girl's name of Scottish, Norse origin meaning "ruler's counselor".

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Mostly used for boys, Ronald saw a (perhaps) surprising amount of use for girls in the US across the 20th century, peaking in 1967 when 100 girls were given the name (compared to more than 16440 boys, that is). In fact, from 1940 to 1975, it was given to at least 50 girls every year.
 
Derived from Old Norse to mean "ruler's counselor" or "wise ruler", it has been out of the charts for girls (and on the decline for boys) since the 1990s. You'd probably be better off going with unisex Ronnie for a daughter.

Ronald

Scottish

Norse

The name Ronald peaked for girls at #856 in 1946. Ronald is also used for boys, ranking #638 in 2025.

The name Ronald is a boy's name of Scottish, Norse origin meaning "ruler's counselor".

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A strong, if slightly dated sounding choice, Ronald made the US Top 10 in the late 1930s through into the mid-1940s, before it became heavily associated with President Reagan, as well as with the McDonald franchise mascot. More recently, it has appeared in the Harry Potter series, borne by Ronald "Ron" Weasley, while others may immediately think of its rhyme, Donald. All of these factors may work against Ronald making a big resurgence, but popular nickname Ronnie might make others reconsider. 
 
The Scottish form of Ragnvaldr, a name brought to England and Scotland by the Vikings, it means "ruler's counselor", giving it a hint of wisdom and strength. It currently appears in the US Top 600 and the UK Top 800, it was given to just shy of 500 American boys in a recent year. Short form Ronnie made the England and Wales Top 50, while the longer form is preferred in the US.

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Nameberry

England

The name Ronald is currently ranked #638 in U.S. births. and peaked for boys at #9 in 1943. The name is most popular in RONALD, RONALD, and RONALD. Ronald is occasionally used for girls in 1999.

Reginald

Reynold

Year	US rank	Births	Per million
2014	—	0	0
2015	—	0	0
2016	—	0	0
2017	—	0	0
2018	—	0	0
2019	—	0	0
2020	—	0	0
2021	—	0	0
2022	—	0	0
2023	—	0	0
2024	—	0	0
2025	—	0	0

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