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Roald

Roald is a boy's name of Scandinavian origin meaning “praise, fame and ruler, chieftain.” In England & Wales it was given to 3 boys in 2005.

Roald at a glance

Gender
Boy name
Origin
Scandinavian
Meaning
“praise, fame and ruler, chieftain”
Pronunciation
/²ruːal(d)/
Also spelled
Old

About the name Roald

Roald belongs to the Scandinavian tradition. Its meaning — “praise, fame and ruler, chieftain” — is the sense carried by its Scandinavian roots, and it is the meaning we verified against published sources for this page. It travels in a few spellings: Old.

In the United States, Roald first appears in Social Security records in 1912. It climbed to its best-ever rank of #1720 in 1912, and in 2024 0 babies received the name — 189 in total since 1880. Those are the official counts, not estimates.

Roald in US records

First recorded (US)
1912
Best US rank
#1720 in 1912
Peak year
1928
Total since 1880
189

Roald in England & Wales records

First recorded (since 1996)
2005
Best rank
#3849 in 2005
Babies named Roald in 2005
3
Total since 1996
3

Spellings & short forms

Old

Similar names

More names from the Scandinavian shelf:

RobertScandinavianEricScandinavianCharlieScandinavianJonScandinavianErikScandinavianRandolphScandinavianSylvesterScandinavianLukasScandinavian

Frequently asked questions

What does the name Roald mean?

Roald means “praise, fame and ruler, chieftain” in its Scandinavian roots. We check every meaning against published sources before it appears here.

Is Roald a boy or girl name?

Roald is a boy name. In England & Wales, 3 babies received the name in 2005.

What origin is the name Roald?

Roald comes from the Scandinavian tradition. It is also spelled Old.

How popular is the name Roald?

Roald first appears in US records in 1912. Its best-ever ranking was #1720 in 1912, and 0 babies were given the name in 2024.

How do you pronounce Roald?

Roald is pronounced /²ruːal(d)/ (IPA).

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Meaning and origin for this page were checked against this source. US popularity figures are from the Social Security Administration's public baby-names data. England & Wales figures are from the Office for National Statistics. If you spot an error, write to [email protected] — accuracy is the whole point of this site, and corrections are made fast.