boys' name ★ peaked 1998

Ronaldo

Gender Boy Rank 2025 #1,988 Trend → Stable

Ronaldo is a Portuguese given name equivalent to the English Ronald.

Rank 2025
#1,988
among boys · ↓37 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
77
named Ronaldo · -5% vs 2024
How common
1 in 22,183
boys born in 2025
Peak year
1998
359 babies
All-time total
6,043
#1,579 all-time among boys
First recorded
1914
in Social Security records

Ronaldo popularity over time

6,043 babies have been named Ronaldo since 1914, 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
0.050.10.150.218801900192019401960198020002020Peak 1998Boys

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 Boys Per year Change Best rank
1880s – – – –
1890s – – – –
1900s – – – –
1910s 11 1 – #3,202
1920s 30 3 +173% #3,454
1930s 48 5 +60% #2,617
1940s 77 8 +60% #2,583
1950s 179 18 +132% #1,617
1960s 225 23 +26% #1,440
1970s 236 24 +5% #1,557
1980s 269 27 +14% #1,638
1990s 976 98 +263% #552
2000s 2,096 210 +115% #756
2010s 1,405 141 -33% #970
2020s (to 2025) 491 82 -42% #1,812

Where Ronaldo 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 76 0.04 outside top 500
2027 75 0.04 outside top 500
2028 74 0.04 outside top 500
2029 74 0.04 outside top 500
2030 73 0.04 outside top 500

Where Ronaldo is most popular

Boys named Ronaldo per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.047 per 1,000. Strongest in Texas, California, and Florida.

Vs national average
well below below near national above well above no data

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are boys named Ronaldo born 2021–2025; the per-1,000 rate makes states of different sizes comparable, and the last column shows each state against the national average.

State Boys 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
Texas 77 0.087 +85%
California 76 0.083 +76%
Florida 31 0.065 +39%
New York 20 0.046 ≈ national
North Carolina 5 0.020 -59%
Illinois 5 0.020 -59%
Alaska – – –
Alabama – – –
Arkansas – – –
Arizona – – –
Colorado – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Georgia – – –
Hawaii – – –
Iowa – – –
Idaho – – –
Indiana – – –
Kansas – – –
Kentucky – – –
Louisiana – – –
Massachusetts – – –
Maryland – – –
Maine – – –
Michigan – – –
Minnesota – – –
Missouri – – –
Mississippi – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Jersey – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
Ohio – – –
Oklahoma – – –
Oregon – – –
Pennsylvania – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Carolina – – –
South Dakota – – –
Tennessee – – –
Utah – – –
Virginia – – –
Vermont – – –
Washington – – –
Wisconsin – – –
West Virginia – – –
Wyoming – – –

State counts come from the Social Security Administration's state files, which omit any state-year with fewer than five babies of a name, so small states can undercount slightly.

The story of Ronaldo

Ronaldo is rare for boys in the United States, ranked #1,988 in 2025 with 77 babies given the name. It is currently declining compared with a decade ago.

Since 1914, 6,043 American babies have been named Ronaldo. Its peak came in 1998, when 359 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1990s.

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 Ronaldo stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Ronaldo?

The median living Ronaldo is about 20 years old; half are between 13 and 27. An estimated 5,700 people named Ronaldo are alive in the United States today.

median 20 020406080100

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

Ronaldo year by year

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

Year Boys Boys rank
2025 77 #1,988
2024 81 #1,951
2023 84 #1,890
2022 85 #1,871
2021 81 #1,899
2020 83 #1,812
2019 83 #1,838
2018 103 #1,600
2017 119 #1,447
2016 129 #1,378
2015 160 #1,164
2014 161 #1,169
2013 148 #1,215
2012 144 #1,234
2011 154 #1,166
2010 204 #970
2009 196 #1,005
2008 179 #1,060
2007 212 #937
2006 264 #787
2005 201 #898
2004 240 #759
2003 236 #756
2002 224 #772
2001 167 #934
2000 177 #889
1995 36 #2,247
1990 18 #3,435
1985 25 #2,215
1980 28 #1,994
1975 21 #2,188
1970 22 #1,928
1965 18 #1,903
1960 26 #1,613
1955 21 #1,718
1950 11 #2,417
1945 6 #3,266
1940 8 #2,828
1935 – –
1930 8 #3,244
1925 5 #4,765
1920 – –
1915 – –
1910 – –
1905 – –
1900 – –
1895 – –
1890 – –
1885 – –
1880 – –

Famous people named Ronaldo

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

  1. 1 Ronaldo Ronaldo Brazilian footballer (born 1976) Contemporary
  2. 2 Ronaldo Henrique Silva Brazilian footballer b. 1991 · Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Ronaldo?

The median living Ronaldo is about 20 years old. Half of all living Ronaldos are between 13 and 27 years old.

How many people named Ronaldo are alive today?

An estimated 5,700 people named Ronaldo are alive in the United States, based on 6,043 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Ronaldo mean?

Ronaldo is a Portuguese given name equivalent to the English Ronald.

How popular is the name Ronaldo in 2025?

Ronaldo ranked #1,988 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 77 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Ronaldo?

6,043 babies have been named Ronaldo in the United States since 1914, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Ronaldo most popular?

Ronaldo peaked in 1998, when 359 newborns received the name.

Is Ronaldo a boy or girl name?

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

Is the name Ronaldo rising or falling?

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

Will Ronaldo become more popular?

Ronaldo looks stable. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 73 boys named Ronaldo in 2030, ranking outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Ronaldo?

Well-known people named Ronaldo include Ronaldo (soccer player), Ronaldo Henrique Silva (soccer player).

Names like Ronaldo

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

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