Ronaldo is the Portuguese and Spanish form of Ronald, which goes back to the Old Norse Rögnvaldr and means "ruler's counsel" or "wise ruler". Two soccer superstars, the Brazilian Ronaldo and Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo, have made it one of the best-known names in world sport. In the United States Ronaldo peaked at number 756 in 2003, left the top 1000 in the following decade and ranks number 1988 in 2025.