Baby Names US
boys' name ★ peaked 1960

Ron

Meaning A diminutive of the male given name Ronald Gender Boy Rank 2025 #4,361 Trend ↓ Falling 18%

A diminutive of the male given name Ronald.

Rank 2025
#4,361
among boys · ↓688 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
24
named Ron · -23% vs 2024
How common
1 in 71,170
boys born in 2025
Peak year
1960
1,888 babies
All-time total
36,432
#603 all-time among boys
First recorded
1919
in Social Security records

Ron popularity over time

36,432 babies have been named Ron since 1919, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
0.250.50.75118801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
BoysGirls

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Boys Total Per year Change Best rank
1880s – – – – – –
1890s – – – – – –
1900s – – – – – –
1910s – 6 6 1 – #4,087
1920s – 36 36 4 +500% #2,872
1930s – 810 810 81 +2150% #406
1940s – 5,568 5,568 557 +587% #206
1950s – 7,785 7,785 779 +40% #166
1960s 32 13,109 13,141 1,314 +69% #170
1970s 26 4,263 4,289 429 -67% #270
1980s 12 2,001 2,013 201 -53% #494
1990s – 1,319 1,319 132 -34% #739
2000s – 779 779 78 -41% #1,351
2010s – 494 494 49 -37% #2,199
2020s (to 2025) – 192 192 32 -35% #3,275

Where Ron is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 boys (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 boys Implied rank
2026 23 0.01 outside top 500
2027 22 0.01 outside top 500
2028 21 0.01 outside top 500
2029 21 0.01 outside top 500
2030 20 0.01 outside top 500

The story of Ron

Ron is rare for boys in the United States, ranked #4,361 in 2025 with 24 babies given the name. It is currently declining compared with a decade ago.

Since 1919, 36,432 American babies have been named Ron. Its peak came in 1960, when 1,888 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1960s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Ron stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Ron?

The median living Ron is about 62 years old; half are between 53 and 67. An estimated 29 thousand people named Ron are alive in the United States today.

median 62 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Ron year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank Boys Boys rank
2025 – – 24 #4,361
2024 – – 31 #3,673
2023 – – 37 #3,275
2022 – – 33 #3,522
2021 – – 35 #3,347
2020 – – 32 #3,477
2019 – – 32 #3,554
2018 – – 53 #2,467
2017 – – 47 #2,662
2016 – – 48 #2,614
2015 – – 39 #3,017
2014 – – 62 #2,199
2013 – – 43 #2,754
2012 – – 59 #2,231
2011 – – 53 #2,398
2010 – – 58 #2,254
2009 – – 63 #2,161
2008 – – 49 #2,574
2007 – – 69 #2,031
2006 – – 92 #1,592
2005 – – 84 #1,631
2004 – – 74 #1,726
2003 – – 86 #1,511
2002 – – 79 #1,568
2001 – – 88 #1,424
2000 – – 95 #1,351
1995 – – 127 #985
1990 – – 191 #739
1985 – – 178 #660
1980 7 #8,843 295 #494
1975 7 #7,760 320 #446
1970 – – 785 #270
1965 – – 1,143 #213
1960 – – 1,888 #170
1955 – – 501 #331
1950 – – 349 #360
1945 – – 545 #244
1940 – – 214 #389
1935 – – 83 #657
1930 – – 13 #2,274
1925 – – 6 #4,113
1920 – – 5 #4,848
1915 – – – –
1910 – – – –
1905 – – – –
1900 – – – –
1895 – – – –
1890 – – – –
1885 – – – –
1880 – – – –

Famous people named Ron

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 Ron Howard Ron Howard American filmmaker and actor (born 1954) Contemporary
  2. 2 Ron Jeremy Ron Jeremy American pornographic actor (born 1953) Contemporary
  3. 3 Ron Perlman Ron Perlman American actor (born 1950) Contemporary
  4. 4 Ron Harper Ron Harper American basketball player (born 1964) Contemporary
  5. 5 Ron Livingston Ron Livingston American actor (born 1967) Contemporary
  6. 6 Ron Paul Ron Paul American politician (born 1935) Contemporary
  7. 7 Ron Eldard American actor (active 1989–2018) (born 1965) Contemporary
  8. 8 Ron Leibman Ron Leibman American actor (1937–2019) Contemporary
  9. 9 Ron Woodroof Ron Woodroof American entrepreneur (1950–1992) Contemporary
  10. 10 Ron Silver Ron Silver American actor (1946–2009) Contemporary
  11. 11 Ron Kovic Ron Kovic American activist and writer (born 1946) Contemporary
  12. 12 Ron Atkinson Ron Atkinson Football player and manager (born 1939) Contemporary
  13. 13 Ron Rifkin Ron Rifkin American actor b. 1939 · Contemporary
  14. 14 Ron Moody Ron Moody British actor (1924–2015) Contemporary
  15. 15 Ron Ely Ron Ely American actor and novelist (1938–2024) Contemporary
  16. 16 Ron Dennis Ron Dennis British businessman and motorsport executive (born 1947) Contemporary
  17. 17 Ron Carter Ron Carter American musician and composer (born 1937) Contemporary
  18. 18 Ron Wyatt Ron Wyatt American creationist (1933–1999) Contemporary
  19. 19 Ron Clements Ron Clements American animation filmmaker (born 1953) Contemporary
  20. 20 Ron Gilbert Ron Gilbert American video game designer b. 1964 · Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Ron, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Ron?

The median living Ron is about 62 years old. Half of all living Rons are between 53 and 67 years old.

How many people named Ron are alive today?

An estimated 29 thousand people named Ron are alive in the United States, based on 36,432 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Ron mean?

A diminutive of the male given name Ronald.

How popular is the name Ron in 2025?

Ron ranked #4,361 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 24 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Ron?

36,432 babies have been named Ron in the United States since 1919, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Ron most popular?

Ron peaked in 1960, when 1,888 newborns received the name.

Is Ron a boy or girl name?

Ron is overwhelmingly a boy's name: 100% of babies with the name.

Is the name Ron rising or falling?

Ron is declining, less popular now than a decade ago.

Will Ron become more popular?

Ron is trending downward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 20 boys named Ron in 2030, which would rank outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Ron?

Well-known people named Ron include Ron Howard (actor), Ron Jeremy (pornographic actor), Ron Perlman (actor).

Names like Ron

Names that sound and feel close to Ron: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Ron with similar names → More names starting with R →