Ronny
A masculine diminutive of Ronald; brave counselor.
Name Census estimates that about 11,561 living Americans carry the first name Ronny. It is a predominantly male name (96.8% of registrations). The average person named Ronny today is around 55 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Ronny births was 1947 (438 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Ronny. 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.
Key insights
- • Although Ronny is used almost entirely for boys, the SSA data does show 478 girls registered with the name since 1880.
People living today
12K
~ 1 in 29,647 Americans
Peak year
1947
438 babies that year
Average age
55
years old
2024 SSA rank
#2,539
Tracked since 1927
Gender
Gender distribution for Ronny
Ronny leans heavily male at 96.8% of total registrations, but 478 girls have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Ronny as a male name
- Ranked #2,539 in 2024
- 53 male births in 2024
- Peak: 1947 (430 births)
Ronny as a female name
- Ranked #14,821 in 2023
- 6 female births in 2023
- Peak: 1970 (18 births)
Popularity
Ronny: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Ronny from the 1920s through to the 2020s, spanning 11 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1950s, with 3,283 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1950s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Ronny 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 Ronny during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Ronnys live
The SSA's state-level files cover 36 states and territories. Texas, California, New York recorded the most babies named Ronny, while Maryland, Wisconsin, Arizona recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 295 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Ronny
The name Ronny is a diminutive form of the name Ronald, which originated from the Old Norse name Rögnvaldr. This name is composed of the elements "rögn" meaning counsel or advice, and "valdr" meaning ruler or leader. The name Rögnvaldr can be traced back to the Viking Age and was prevalent among Scandinavian cultures.
In the early medieval period, the name Rögnvaldr was often anglicized as Rognvald or Reginald. As time passed, the name evolved into various forms, including Ronald, Ronnie, and Ronny. The name Ronny gained popularity as a diminutive form, particularly in English-speaking countries.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Rögnvaldr can be found in the Icelandic Sagas, which were written in the 13th and 14th centuries. These sagas recount the lives and adventures of Scandinavian rulers and heroes, some of whom bore the name Rögnvaldr.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have carried the name Ronny or its variations. For example, Ronny James Dio (1942-2010) was an American heavy metal singer and songwriter known for his powerful vocals and theatrical stage presence. Ronny Whyte (1923-2005) was a South African cricketer who played Test cricket for South Africa in the 1940s and 1950s.
Another notable figure was Ronny Jaques (1912-1982), a British film director and screenwriter known for his work on several classic British comedies. Ronny Mauricio (born 2001) is a Dominican professional baseball shortstop currently playing in the Minor Leagues for the New York Mets organization.
In the realm of literature, Ronny Cammareri is a character in the novel and film "Moonstruck" by John Patrick Shanley. The character, played by Nicolas Cage in the film adaptation, is known for his charismatic yet temperamental personality.
It is worth noting that while the name Ronny has been used throughout history, its popularity has fluctuated over time and across different regions. Nevertheless, the name remains a diminutive form of Ronald, carrying a rich history and connection to its Old Norse roots.
Notable bearers
Famous people named Ronny
People
Ronny + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Ronny 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
Ronny: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Ronny?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 11,561 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Ronny 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 29,647 US residents.
Is Ronny a common name?
We classify Ronny as "Uncommon". It ranks above 97.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 15,011 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Ronny most popular?
The single biggest year for Ronny was 1947, when 438 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Ronny is about 55 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Ronny a male name?
Yes, 96.8% of people registered as Ronny 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.
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.