Ronnel
A masculine name of French origin that may mean "bear small ruler".
Name Census estimates that about 241 living Americans carry the first name Ronnel. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Ronnel today is around 42 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Ronnel births was 1983 (12 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Ronnel. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
241
~ 1 in 1,422,217 Americans
Peak year
1983
12 babies that year
Average age
42
years old
2018 SSA rank
#10,524
Tracked since 1941
Census
Ronnel in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 512 people with the first name Ronnel, which placed it at #20,244 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#20,244
National first-name rank
People counted
512
512 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.2
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Asian and Pacific Islander
44.7% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ronnel
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Ronnel is Asian/Pacific Islander at 44.7%. The next largest groups are Black (29.5%) and White (15.0%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Ronnel 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 name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Ronnel at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander44.7% · 229
- Black or African American29.5% · 151
- White15.0% · 77
- Hispanic or Latino6.8% · 35
- Two or more races2.3% · 12
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.6% · 8
Popularity
Ronnel: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Ronnel from the 1940s through to the 2010s, spanning 8 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 71 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1980s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Ronnel by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Ronnel during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Ronnels live
Origin
Meaning and history of Ronnel
The name Ronnel is believed to have originated from the French language, derived from the Old French word "ronnel," which means "a small round object." This likely refers to the round shape of a small stone or pebble. The name's origins can be traced back to the Middle Ages, around the 12th century, when it was commonly used in France and other parts of Western Europe.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Ronnel can be found in the 13th-century French epic poem "Le Roman de la Rose" (The Romance of the Rose), written by Guillaume de Lorris and Jean de Meun. In this literary work, a character named Ronnel is mentioned, although the context and significance of this character remain unclear.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Ronnel. One of the most prominent figures was Ronnel de Godefroi (born around 1140, died 1192), a French knight and crusader who participated in the Third Crusade. He was known for his bravery and valor on the battlefield.
Another historical figure with the name Ronnel was Ronnel de Montauban (born around 1185, died 1242), a French nobleman and military commander who served under King Louis VIII of France during the Albigensian Crusade against the Cathar heretics in southern France.
In the 14th century, there was a Ronnel de Chambly (born around 1310, died 1378), a French architect and master mason who was involved in the construction of several notable Gothic cathedrals and churches in France, including the Cathedral of Notre-Dame in Paris.
Moving forward in history, Ronnel de Boucicaut (born around 1365, died 1421) was a famous French knight and military leader who fought in the Hundred Years' War against the English. He was renowned for his prowess on the battlefield and his chivalrous conduct.
Lastly, Ronnel de Beaumont (born around 1420, died 1478) was a French nobleman and diplomat who served as the ambassador of King Louis XI of France to several European courts, including those of England and Burgundy.
These examples illustrate the historical presence and usage of the name Ronnel, primarily among the French nobility and military ranks during the Middle Ages and the Renaissance period. While the name's popularity may have waned over time, its origins and historical significance remain an intriguing aspect of its legacy.
People
Ronnel + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Ronnel as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with R
Other first names starting with R with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Ronnel: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Ronnel?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 241 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Ronnel going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 1,422,217 US residents.
Is Ronnel a common name?
We classify Ronnel as "Very Rare". It ranks above 76.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 269 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Ronnel most popular?
The single biggest year for Ronnel was 1983, when 12 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Ronnel is about 42 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Ronnel in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 512 people with the name Ronnel, or 0.17 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #20,244 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Ronnel in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Ronnel?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Ronnel leans strongly male. 488 people counted with this name were male (93.8%), compared with 32 female bearers (6.2%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Ronnel?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Ronnel is Asian/Pacific Islander at 44.7%. The next largest groups are Black (29.5%) and White (15.0%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Ronnel most often in the Census?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest reported group for people named Ronnel in the 2020 Census, accounting for 44.7% (229 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Ronnel in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Ronnel a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Ronnel in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Ronnel still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Ronnel in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Ronnel can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
How many people are named Ronnel?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.