| Pronunciation | /ˈrɒnəld/[1] |
|---|---|
| Gender | Male |
| Language(s) | English |
| Origin | |
| Language(s) | Old Norse, Old English |
| Word/name | Rögnvaldr, Regenweald |
| Derivation | regin + valdr or regen + weald |
| Meaning | "advice", "decision" + "ruler" |
| Other names | |
| Short form(s) | Ron |
| Pet form(s) | Roni, Ronnie, Ronny |
| Related names | Raghnall, Ronalda, Ronaldson, Rhona, Ronaldo, Reynold, Rainald, Renaud, Reinhold, Rónán |
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 Roni[6] 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.