Ron
Ron was the 4361st most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 24 babies. Its best year was 1959, when it ranked 166th; the most babies were born in 1960 (1,888). Over the last ten years it has moved down 1,344 places. More babies were named Ron in the 1960s than in any other decade.
Meaning short form of Ronald; also Hebrew "joy" · English, Old Norse, Hebrew
Say it RAHN /rɑn/
- Rank in 2025
- #4,361 boys, down 884 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 24boys
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 19601,888 babies
- Total since 1880
- 36,432babies recorded
What does the name Ron mean?
Ron is a short form of Ronald. Ronald is the English form of the Gaelic Raghnall, from the Old Norse Rǫgnvaldr, made of rǫgn, "counsel, the gods", and valdr, "ruler, power". Separately, Ron is a Hebrew name meaning "joy, song", common in Israel. In the US Ron was used on its own mainly in the mid-20th century, when Ronald was at its peak.
Rǫgnvaldr (Old Norse, “counsel + ruler”)רוֹן (Hebrew, “ron, joy, song”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Related names: Ronald, Ronnie, Reynold, Ronan.
See also: English names.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Ron', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Wiktionary, entry 'Ronald', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Wikipedia, 'Ron (given name)', Wikipedia (Wikimedia Foundation)
Nicknames for Ron
The usual nicknames for Ron are Ronnie. Some parents skip the long form: for every 100 boys named Ron in the last five years, 661 were named Ronnie, against 518 twenty years earlier.
| Nickname | Kind | Rank 2025 | Boys, 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ronnie · also for Veronica, Ronald | Traditional | #1,067 | 1,057 |
Nicknames reviewed by our editors; counts are boys given the nickname as their legal first name. Nobody records how many Rons go by each one.
Ron popularity since 1880
A few girls are given the name too: 70 since 1962.
| Year | Rank (boys) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #4,361 | 24 |
| 2020 | #3,477 | 32 |
| 2010 | #2,254 | 58 |
| 2000 | #1,351 | 95 |
| 1990 | #739 | 191 |
| 1980 | #494 | 295 |
| 1970 | #270 | 785 |
| 1960 | #170 | 1,888 |
| 1950 | #360 | 349 |
| 1940 | #389 | 214 |
| 1930 | #2,274 | 13 |
| 1920 | #4,848 | 5 |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Ron, counting every spelling?
Ron is the most common spelling of a name family that had 24 boys in 2025 across its spellings. Together these spellings went to 24 boys in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ron | 24 | #4,361 | 160 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Ron?
24 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Ron (0.01 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Ron born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 347 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Ron.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Ron?
About 26,900 people born in the US named Ron are alive today, with a median age of 62; half are between 54 and 67. That makes Ron a name most people associate with older generations.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Ron by state
How common Ron was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. In 48 states fewer than five boys a year got the name, too few for SSA to publish, so those states show as zero.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Ron: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Ron, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Ron · Sibling names for Ron
Ron is also a nickname for Ronald.
Questions about the name Ron
What does Ron mean?
Ron means “short form of Ronald; also Hebrew "joy"” (English, Old Norse, Hebrew origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Ron?
Ron was the 4361st most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 24 babies. Its best year was 1959, when it ranked 166th; the most babies were born in 1960 (1,888). Over the last ten years it has moved down 1,344 places. More babies were named Ron in the 1960s than in any other decade.
Is Ron a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name Ron in the US.
Where is Ron most popular?
In 2021–2025, Ron was most common in New York (0.03 per 1,000 boys), followed by California and Florida.