| Ronan | Rory | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Little seal | red king |
| Origin | Irish | irish |
| Gender | Boy | Boy |
| Pronunciation | ROH-nun | ROR-ee |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| First appeared | 1959 | 1933 |
| Peak year | 2025 (1,406) | 2025 (1,768) |
| In 2025 | 1,406 | 1,768 |
| Trend | Near its peak | Near its peak |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Ronan | Rory |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 7,749 | 8,172 |
| 2010s | 9,092 | 6,990 |
| 2000s | 3,343 | 2,737 |
| 1990s | 322 | 2,706 |
| 1980s | 84 | 4,738 |
| 1970s | 32 | 2,668 |
| 1960s | 47 | 3,737 |
| 1950s | 10 | 3,621 |
| 1940s | 0 | 462 |
| 1930s | 0 | 10 |
Rónán means “little seal,” from the Irish rón.
Anglicized form of Irish 'Ruaidhri', from 'ruadh' ('red') + 'ri' ('king') — 'red king'. Borne by Ruaidhri Ua Conchobair, the last High King of Ireland. Now also used for girls.
Rory is more popular than Ronan today: about 1,768 US babies were given the name Rory in 2025, compared with 1,406 named Ronan.
Ronan means Little seal (Irish origin), while Rory means red king (irish origin).
In US records, Ronan first appears in 1959 and Rory in 1933, so Rory has the longer recorded history.