Holding steady.
Popularity of Roald since 1912
Babies named Roald per year in U.S. Social Security records. Raw births topped out in 1928, but relative to how few babies were recorded back then, Roald's real moment was 1912.
Data table (by decade)
| Decade | Boys |
|---|---|
| 1910s | 28 |
| 1920s | 76 |
| 1930s | 45 |
| 1940s | 21 |
| 1950s | 11 |
| 1960s | 8 |
| 1970s | 0 |
| 1980s | 0 |
| 1990s | 0 |
| 2000s | 0 |
| 2010s | 0 |
| 2020s | 0 |
Meaning & origin
Roald is a distinctive Norwegian name with a strong Old Norse heritage, first recorded in the United States in 1912. Although it has never cracked the top 1000, its peak year was also 1912, and its trajectory has been flat for over a century. Approximately 1 in N (statistically negligible) boys receive this name today. The name has remained stable in usage, never experiencing a revival. It is almost exclusively associated with the Scandinavian countries and is rare among the top states. Roald's appeal lies in its powerful meaning and historical connections to explorers and writers.
Roald is derived from the Old Norse name Rǫðvaldr, composed of the elements rǫð ('counsel, advice') and valdr ('ruler'). The name has been used in Norway since medieval times and was later carried by Norwegian immigrants to other countries. In modern times, it is most famously associated with the explorer Roald Amundsen and the author Roald Dahl, but it has never been widely popular outside Scandinavia.
Sibling names for Roald
Names that share Roald's style, for a brother or sister.
