Ronn
A masculine given name derived from the name Ronald, meaning "ruler's counselor".
Name Census estimates that about 540 living Americans carry the first name Ronn. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Ronn today is around 60 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Ronn births was 1962 (32 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Ronn. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Ronn with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
540
~ 1 in 634,730 Americans
Peak year
1962
32 babies that year
Average age
60
years old
2003 SSA rank
#12,383
Tracked since 1941
Census
Ronn in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 739 people with the first name Ronn, which placed it at #15,530 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#15,530
National first-name rank
People counted
739
739 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.2
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
71.9% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ronn
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Ronn is White at 71.9%. The next largest groups are Black (11.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (9.2%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Ronn described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Ronn at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White71.9% · 531
- Black or African American11.5% · 85
- Asian and Pacific Islander9.2% · 68
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 26
- Two or more races2.6% · 19
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.4% · 10
Popularity
Ronn: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Ronn from the 1940s through to the 2000s, spanning 7 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1960s, with 215 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1960s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Ronn by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Ronn during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Ronns live
Origin
Meaning and history of Ronn
The given name Ronn has its origins in the Germanic and Old Norse languages, where it was derived from the word "rún," meaning "secret," or "mystery." It is believed to have been in use as early as the 8th century CE, particularly in Scandinavia and other regions with strong Viking influences.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name Ronn can be found in the Old Norse sagas, where it was often associated with individuals known for their wisdom, mysticism, or occult knowledge. In the Icelandic sagas, there are references to a character named Ronn the Rune-Master, who was renowned for his ability to read and interpret ancient runes.
During the Middle Ages, the name Ronn gained popularity across Europe, particularly in areas with strong Germanic and Norse cultural influences. It was often used as a shortened form of longer names such as Ronaldus or Ronaldinus, which themselves were derived from the Old Norse name Rögnvaldr.
One notable historical figure who bore the name Ronn was Ronn of Hertford, an 11th-century English monk and scholar who was known for his extensive knowledge of ancient runes and Norse mythology. He is believed to have contributed to the preservation and understanding of these ancient traditions during a time when they were in decline.
Another famous Ronn was Ronn the Red, a legendary Viking warrior and explorer who is said to have sailed to the shores of North America in the 10th century, predating the voyages of Christopher Columbus by nearly 500 years. While the historical accuracy of his exploits has been debated, his name has become synonymous with the spirit of adventure and exploration.
In the 16th century, Ronn Guðmundsson was an Icelandic scholar and poet who played a significant role in preserving and promoting the traditional Icelandic language and literature. His works, which included translations of ancient Norse texts, helped to revive interest in the country's rich cultural heritage.
During the 19th century, Ronn Eriksen was a Norwegian explorer and author who documented his travels through the Arctic regions of Scandinavia and Greenland. His writings provided valuable insights into the lives and customs of the indigenous peoples of the far north, and his name became associated with the spirit of adventure and discovery.
While the name Ronn has waxed and waned in popularity over the centuries, it has maintained a strong connection to its Germanic and Norse roots, evoking a sense of mystery, wisdom, and exploration. Its rich history and cultural significance have ensured that it continues to be used and appreciated by those with an appreciation for the ancient traditions and legends of the Viking age.
People
Ronn + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Ronn as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with R
Other first names starting with R with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Ronn: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Ronn?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 540 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Ronn going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 634,730 US residents.
Is Ronn a common name?
We classify Ronn as "Very Rare". It ranks above 85.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 655 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Ronn most popular?
The single biggest year for Ronn was 1962, when 32 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Ronn is about 60 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Ronn in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 739 people with the name Ronn, or 0.24 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #15,530 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Ronn in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Ronn?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Ronn leans strongly male. 722 people counted with this name were male (97.6%), compared with 18 female bearers (2.4%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Ronn?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Ronn is White at 71.9%. The next largest groups are Black (11.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (9.2%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Ronn most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Ronn in the 2020 Census, accounting for 71.9% (531 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Ronn in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Ronn a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Ronn in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Ronn still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Ronn in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Ronn can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
How many Americans are named Ronn?
See how many people have the name Ronn on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.