Boys' name · since 1883
Ronald
Since 1883, U.S. Social Security records show 1,082,247 babies named Ronald, peaking in 1947. See the year-by-year trend, decade totals, and state rankings below, sourced from federal birth data.
- #27 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #638 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 1,082,247
- born since 1883
- 1940s
- peak decade
Ronald currently ranks #638 among boys' names in America, with 1,082,247 babies recorded since 1883.
Ronald has 1,082,247 recorded births among boys since 1883, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #638 as of the latest data, more common than 95% of boys, busiest in the 1940s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1883 to 2025.
- #27 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #638 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 1,082,247 born since 1883
- 1940s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Ronald ranks #27 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #638 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 1,082,247 born since 1883, peaking in the 1940s.
- #27 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #638 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 1,082,247
- born since 1883
- 1940s
- peak decade
Ronald's 1,082,247 recorded births place it above 99.94% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
51 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by New York.
How Ronald compares
1,082,247 Top 1% higher than 99% of 13,930 names currently given to boys
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked boys names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Ronald's all-time total is 2,933x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Ronald | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 1,082,247 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 34,899 | 34 | 22,252 |
Ronald's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Ronald's full recorded timeline at 1955, 45% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 55% in the earlier half -- a fairly even split across the full record. Its quietest year on record was 1883, with just 6 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1947 peak of 34,899 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Ronald popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1883–2025
- Peak year (1947)
- 34,899
- Annual births at peak, across 143 years of records
Ronald popularity over time - girls
3,844 total births recorded since 1919 (Ronald as girls' name)
Ronald by decade
1940s is the heaviest window (282,489 births, 26% of the file).
1940s was Ronald's strongest decade.
282,489 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 26% of all-time use.
Ronald births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 63
1880s
63 births
- 1890s 209
1890s
209 births
- 1900s 616
1900s
616 births
- 1910s 5,301
1910s
5,301 births
- 1920s 20,894
1920s
20,894 births
- 1930s
1930s
140,332 births
- 1940s
1940s
282,489 births
- 1950s
1950s
271,139 births
- 1960s
1960s
182,190 births
- 1970s 81,730
1970s
81,730 births
- 1980s 46,670
1980s
46,670 births
- 1990s 26,681
1990s
26,681 births
- 2000s 13,645
2000s
13,645 births
- 2010s 7,356
2010s
7,356 births
- 2020s 2,932
2020s
2,932 births
What this shows Peak: 1940s at 282,489 births (26% of all-time use).
How Ronald compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 boys names closest to Ronald's total volume
Ronald by state
Where Ronald concentrates geographically, total births since 1883
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | New York | | 84,752 | 7.8% |
| #2 | California | | 84,664 | 7.8% |
| #3 | Pennsylvania | | 83,189 | 7.7% |
| #4 | Ohio | | 70,372 | 6.5% |
| #5 | Illinois | | 70,343 | 6.5% |
| #6 | Michigan | | 60,361 | 5.6% |
| #7 | Texas | | 41,384 | 3.8% |
| #8 | Indiana | | 32,897 | 3.0% |
84,752 of 1,082,247 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Ronald appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Ronald? ▼
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When was Ronald most popular? ▼
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What to do with Ronald's data
- Ronald's decade-level peak was the 1940s (282,489 total births); usage has since declined to 2,932 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- New York records the most Ronalds (84,752 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. New York names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Ronald
Nearby Names Like Ronald
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Ronald
Compare Ronald side by side: Ronald vs Ronnie Ronald vs Ron Ronald vs Ronan
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Ronald
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Ronald: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1947)
Similar record span (~142 yrs)
Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.
Data Sources
Data as of August 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1883–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Ronald draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.