Ronald

For other uses, see Ronald (disambiguation).
Not to be confused with Roland (name).
Ronald
Pronunciation/ˈrɒnəld/[1]
GenderMale
Language(s)English
Origin
Language(s)Old Norse, Old English
Word/nameRögnvaldr, Regenweald
Derivationregin + valdr or regen + weald
Meaning"advice", "decision" + "ruler"
Other names
Short form(s)Ron
Pet form(s)Roni, Ronnie, Ronny
Related namesRaghnall, Ronalda, Ronaldson, Rhona, Ronaldo, Reynold, Rainald, Renaud, Reinhold

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.

People with the name

Fictional people with the name

See also

Citations

  1. ^ Jones (1986) p. 427.
  2. ^ a b c d Hanks; Hardcastle; Hodges (2006) p. 234; Hanks; Hodges (2003) § Ronald.
  3. ^ See Searle's Onomasticon Anglo-Saxonicum, page 397.
  4. ^ Hanks; Hardcastle; Hodges 2006 p. 407; Hanks; Hodges (2003) § Raghnall.
  5. ^ Hanks; Hardcastle; Hodges (2006) pp. 234, 407; Hanks; Hodges (2003) §§ Raghnall, Ragnvald.
  6. ^ Hanks; Hardcastle; Hodges (2006) p. 234.
  7. ^ Hanks; Hodges (2003) § Ronald.
  8. ^ Hanks; Hardcastle; Hodges (2006) pp. 230, 408; Hanks; Hodges (2003) § Rhona.

References

  • Hanks, P; Hodges, F (2003). A Dictionary of First Names (MOBI). Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0198606052.
  • Hanks, P; Hardcastle, K; Hodges, F (2006) [1990]. A Dictionary of First Names. Oxford Paperback Reference (2nd ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-861060-1.
  • Jones, D; Gimson, AC (1986) [1917]. Everyman's English Pronouncing Dictionary (14th ed.). J.M. Dent & Sons. OL 4296804M.
  • Searle, D (1897) [1897]. Onomasticon Anglo-Saxonicum. Cambridge University Press.