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It's bland and unobjectionable, but I've always really disliked it. That combination of syllables is incredibly unappealing to me.

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Moreover, the connotations I have - Ronald Reagan, for example - are problematic, at best.

Well, I like Arnold, Roger, Denis, Philip for kids nowadays, and it seems a similar age to me...I do still think those sound old and dorky, but I've met kids named things like Walter (it worked fine as far as I could tell, just didn't seem trendy) which also sounds dorky.

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I know a Ron. He's a doctor and has a kid in middle school. It seems respectable - it's staid like John but a tad more personable like Roy.

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I've only heard Ronnie as a NN for Veronica (twice, both older black women). I like it in that context, but it seems weird to imagine for a little Ronald somehow. I guess it doesn't help that Connie, Bonnie, Rhonda, Ronja are feminine or that I hate Donnie; I have nothing against Johnny or Danny or Reggie, though.

This message was edited 6/17/2023, 9:49 PM

I like Ronnie/Ron, but dislike Ronald. I have similar feelings with Don/Donnie and Donald.

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I think it's because I know a lot of people who go by the nicknames vs full name. I've known two amazing Dons and a few cool Rons. Ronald and Donald are 100% nerdy to me.

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Thinking about it I have the same feeling with a lot of retro names:
Les vs. Lester
Deb vs. Debbie/Deborah
Ray vs. Raymond
Len/Lenny vs. Leonard

Don't really like either, but Princess Eugenie just used Ronnie as a mn in honour of her granddad's name Ronald

Hi!

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Let me see...

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🇨🇦 Canada: Ronald peaked from 1932 to 1938 (#7) while in 2019 it was out of chart.
🇳🇿 New Zealand: Ronald peaked in 1933 (#4) and in 2022 it was out of chart.
🇺🇲 USA: Ronald peaked in 1941-1942-1943 when it was #9 while in 2022 it was #559.
🇫🇷 France: Ronald peaked in 1950 (#169) while in 2021 it was out of chart.
🇦🇺 Australia: Ronald "peaked" in 1952 (#24) while in 2021 it was out of chart.
🇮🇪 Ireland: Ronald peaked in 1964 (#89) while in 2022 it was out of chart.
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Scotland: Ronald peaked in 1972 (#63) while in 2022 it was out of chart.
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 England & Wales: Ronald recently is increasing in popularity. In 2018 it was #564 and in 2021 it was #569.

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Ronald is ok and I like that in England & Wales it's coming back. I would use it or Ron, at least. Ronnie is too childish and nicknamey imo.

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I like Ron as a standalone name because I was (and still I am) a potterhead. He was actually a Ronald but Ron is more comfortable but also dignified.

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The Italian form of Ronald is Ronaldo. In 2021 it was #1437 and this name is still too linked with the soccer (football) player Cristiano Ronaldo.

This message was edited 6/17/2023, 10:59 AM

Ronald doesn't sound like a bad name, but it does remind me of Ronald McDonald; despite a few Big Mac jokes, it should be fine. I prefer just Ronnie as a full name (over Ronald), but Ronald isn't out of the question.