How Many People Are Named Ronald?
An estimated 714,772 people in the United States have the first name Ronald, ranking it #50 among all first names. It is almost exclusively a male name. The average bearer is 65 years old, and Ronald peaked in popularity in 1947 with 34,973 births that year. It has a similar number of bearers to Barbara (694,059).
Below you will find a full statistical profile of Ronald as a first name in the United States, including gender data, a year-by-year popularity timeline going back to 1880, a decade breakdown, and state-by-state birth registrations. You can also check how many people share the full name Ronald paired with any surname.
Key Insights
- While Ronald is overwhelmingly male, 3,845 female births have been registered with this name since 1880.
- With an average bearer age of 65, Ronald is a vintage name most associated with earlier generations. Most living bearers were born before 1971.
- Ronald has fallen dramatically from its peak in the 1940s. Recent registrations are less than 5% of what they were at the name's height.
Estimated Living Americans
714,772
About 1 in 480 people in the U.S.
Rarity
Very Common
Predicted Gender
Male
99.6% confidence
Average Age
65
years old
Peak Year
1947
34,973 births
Total Registered
1,085,633
since 1880
Gender Distribution for Ronald
Ronald is almost exclusively a male name. Out of 1,085,633 total births registered, 99.6% were male.
Ronald as a male name
Ranked #575 in 2024
495 male births in 2024
Peak: 1947 (34,900 births)
Ronald as a female name
Ranked #16,335 in 1999
5 female births in 1999
Peak: 1967 (100 births)
Ronald: Popularity Over Time
SSA records for Ronald span from the 1880s to the 2020s, covering 15 decades of naming data. The most popular decade for this name was the 1940s, when 283,179 babies were registered. Ronald has declined significantly from its peak in the 1940s. Recent registrations are a fraction of what they were at the name's height.
Ronald by Decade
How has Ronald tracked across different eras? The table below groups all SSA birth registrations into 10-year periods, with separate male and female counts. The colored bar shows each decade's share relative to the peak.
| Decade | Total | Male | Female | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 63 | 63 | 0 | |
| 1890s | 209 | 209 | 0 | |
| 1900s | 616 | 616 | 0 | |
| 1910s | 5,306 | 5,301 | 5 | |
| 1920s | 21,006 | 20,895 | 111 | |
| 1930s | 140,814 | 140,332 | 482 | |
| 1940s | 283,179 | 282,478 | 701 | |
| 1950s | 271,861 | 271,146 | 715 | |
| 1960s | 182,977 | 182,176 | 801 | |
| 1970s | 82,330 | 81,732 | 598 | |
| 1980s | 47,045 | 46,670 | 375 | |
| 1990s | 26,739 | 26,682 | 57 | |
| 2000s | 13,645 | 13,645 | 0 | |
| 2010s | 7,353 | 7,353 | 0 | |
| 2020s | 2,490 | 2,490 | 0 | |
Ronald by State
Birth registrations for Ronald span all 51 states and territories in the SSA database. The highest counts are in New York, California, Pennsylvania. The lowest are in Alaska, Nevada, Wyoming. On average, about 21,188 Ronalds were registered per state.
Ronald + Last Name Combinations
How many people share a full name with Ronald as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Names Similar to Ronald
Other first names starting with R with a similar number of bearers.
Ronald: Questions and Answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Ronald?
We estimate approximately 714,772 people named Ronald are alive in the United States today. This is based on SSA birth records from 1880 to 2024, adjusted for mortality using CDC life tables. About 1 in 480 Americans share this first name.
Is Ronald a common name?
Ronald is classified as "Very Common" and is more popular than 100% of all first names in the SSA database. A total of 1,085,633 births have been registered with this name since 1880.
When was Ronald most popular?
Ronald reached peak popularity in 1947, when 34,973 babies were given this name. The average age of a living person named Ronald is approximately 65 years old, reflecting when the name was most commonly given.
Is Ronald a male name?
Ronald is predominantly male. 99.6% of people with this name are male. See the gender breakdown above for full details.
How many Ronald Smiths are there?
To find how many people share a specific full name, we combine first name and surname frequencies. Try: Ronald Smith, Ronald Johnson, Ronald Williams. You can also search any combination on our homepage.
Where does this data come from?
Our estimates use Social Security Administration birth records (1880 to 2024), adjusted for survival using CDC 2023 life tables broken down by sex. The U.S. population figure (342,754,338) is from the Census Bureau's July 2025 estimate. Full methodology.
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