2000
#21,754
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,115
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.41
Rare Last name
Ronald
A Scottish surname derived from the Old Norse personal name Rögnvaldr, meaning "ruler's counsellor".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,437 Americans carry the last name Ronald. That puts it at #21,292 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.42 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 238,521 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ronald surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Ronald with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
1.4K
1 in 238,521
Census rank
#21,292
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,253 bearers of the surname Ronald in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.42 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 21292nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ronald, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.7%. The next largest groups are Black (10.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (6.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ronald
The surname Ronald originated in Scotland during the medieval period. It is derived from the Old Norse name Rögnvaldr, which means "ruler's counsellor" or "powerful ruler." The name was brought to Scotland by Norse settlers and eventually evolved into the modern spelling of Ronald.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Ronald appears in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which were a series of homage rolls recording those who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England following his conquest of parts of Scotland. The name is also found in various Scottish parish records and charters from the 13th and 14th centuries.
The Ronald surname is closely linked to the Scottish Highlands and was particularly prevalent in the regions of Argyll, Ross-shire, and Inverness-shire. It was also associated with the Clan Donald, one of the largest and most powerful Scottish clans during the Middle Ages.
One notable historical figure with the surname Ronald was Sir John Ronald of Bennane, who lived in the 15th century and served as a courtier to King James III of Scotland. Another prominent individual was Sir Robert Ronald of Leys, a 16th-century Scottish landowner and politician who played a significant role in the Protestant Reformation in Scotland.
During the 17th century, the surname Ronald began to spread beyond Scotland as some bearers of the name migrated to other parts of the British Isles and, later, to North America and other regions of the world. One example is Robert Ronald, a Scottish-born American merchant who lived from 1668 to 1736 and was a prominent figure in colonial Philadelphia.
Other notable individuals with the surname Ronald include Sir Francis Ronald, a 19th-century British diplomat and writer (1788-1873), and Sir Landon Ronald, a renowned English conductor and composer (1873-1938).
Throughout its history, the surname Ronald has maintained its strong Scottish roots and associations with the Highlands and Clan Donald. It has also become more widely dispersed due to migration patterns, but its origins can be traced back to the Old Norse settlers who brought the name to Scotland centuries ago.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ronald
Among Census respondents with the surname Ronald, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.7%. The next largest groups are Black (10.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (6.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Ronald bearers 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 surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Ronald surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White75.7% · 948
- Black or African American10.3% · 129
- Asian and Pacific Islander6.1% · 77
- Hispanic or Latino5.3% · 67
- Two or more races1.8% · 22
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 10
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ronald
Ronald appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#25,356
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 976
-139 bearers (-12.5%)
Per 100,000 0.33
Rank movement Down 3,602 places
2020
#21,292
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,253
+277 bearers (+28.4%)
Per 100,000 0.42
Rank movement Up 4,064 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #21,754 | 1,115 | 0.41 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #25,356 | 976 | 0.33 | -139 bearers (-12.5%) | Down 3,602 places |
| 2020 | #21,292 | 1,253 | 0.42 | +277 bearers (+28.4%) | Up 4,064 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Ronald surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #25,356 | #21,292 | 16.0% |
| Count | 976 | 1,253 | 28.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.33 | 0.42 | 27.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ronald bearers went from 976 to 1,253 (+28.4% change). The surname moved up 4,064 positions in the national ranking, going from #25,356 to #21,292.
FAQ
Ronald surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ronald?
Name Census estimates that about 1,437 living Americans carry the surname Ronald. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 238,521 residents.
How common is Ronald?
Ronald ranks #21,292 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.42 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,253 people with the surname Ronald. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,437), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.42 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.42 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Ronald.
Has Ronald become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ronald went from 976 recorded bearers to 1,253. That is an increase of 277 (+28.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #25,356 to #21,292.
What does the Census say about the background of Ronald?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ronald, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.7%. The next largest groups are Black (10.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (6.1%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Ronald in the 2020 Census, accounting for 75.7% (948 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ronald appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (75.7%), Black (10.3%), Asian/Pacific Islander (6.1%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Ronald (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Ronald mean?
A Scottish surname derived from the Old Norse personal name Rögnvaldr, meaning "ruler's counsellor". The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Ronald (0.42 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the surname Ronald?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.