NameCensus.

UK girl's name

Rona

A feminine given name of Scottish origin meaning "rough stream".

For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2024. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.

Rona is a girl's name in the UK records. People looking for Rona popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #4192, with 5 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2018, with 16 births.

This profile covers 208 England and Wales registrations across 28 recorded years from 1996 to 2024. The figures come from ONS England and Wales and NRS Scotland, so the page is a view of published baby-name registrations rather than a forecast or a live count of people using the name today.

The latest count is about 31% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.

We estimate that about 565 living people in the UK are called Rona. This uses published birth registrations from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, then applies ONS national life tables to estimate how many are likely still alive. It does not forecast extra births for 2025 or 2026.

Key insights

  • Rona ranked #4192 for girls in England and Wales in 2024, with 5 registrations.
  • The name peaked in 2018, when 16 girls were registered as Rona.
  • Rona ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #406 in 2019.
  • About 565 living people in the UK are estimated to have Rona as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.

Latest rank (E&W)

#4192

2024

Births in 2024

5

Latest year

Peak year

2018

16 births

Estimated living

565

2026

Meaning

What does Rona mean?

The name Rona is believed to have originated from the Scottish Gaelic language, derived from the word "ruan," which means "brown" or "reddish-brown." It is thought to have been used as a descriptive name for individuals with reddish-brown hair or complexion.

The earliest known use of the name Rona dates back to the 16th century in Scotland. One of the earliest recorded instances was Rona MacLeod, a woman from the Scottish Highlands in the late 1500s. Records indicate that she was a prominent figure in her local community.

In the 17th century, the name Rona appeared in various Scottish historical records and documents. One notable example is Rona MacDonald, born in 1632, who was a prominent landowner and chieftain of the MacDonald clan in the Scottish Highlands.

The name Rona gained wider recognition in the 19th century, when it appeared in several works of literature. One example is the character Rona Macdonald in the novel "The Princess of Thule" by William Black, published in 1873. This novel helped popularize the name among English-speaking audiences.

Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals with the first name Rona. One such person was Rona Munro, a Scottish playwright and screenwriter born in 1959. Her notable works include the play "Iron" and the screenplay for the film "Ladybird, Ladybird."

Another notable figure was Rona Jaffe, an American novelist and playwright born in 1931. She is best known for her bestselling novel "The Best of Everything," which explored the lives of working women in New York City in the 1950s.

In the field of sports, Rona Mackenzie was a Scottish golfer born in 1901. She won the British Ladies Amateur Golf Championship in 1926 and was a prominent figure in Scottish golf during the early 20th century.

Additionally, Rona Findlay was a Scottish artist and sculptor born in 1905. She was known for her works in bronze and her sculptures can be found in various public spaces throughout Scotland.

Lastly, Rona Hartfield was a British actress born in 1938. She had a successful career in television and film, appearing in popular shows such as "Doctor Who" and "Coronation Street."

Sourced from namecensus.com.

Popularity

Rona over time

The chart below shows babies named Rona registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 1996 to 2024. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.

For Rona, the clearest high point is 2018. The latest England and Wales figure is 5 births in 2024, compared with 16 at the peak.

Babies born per year

Rona
0481216199620102024

Decades

Rona by decade

Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Rona was a short-lived spike or a name that stayed in regular use. Average rank is calculated only from years where a published rank exists.

Decade Average rank Total births Years covered
2020s #4331 20 4
2010s #2945 89 10
2000s #2748 70 10
1990s #2320 29 4

Geography

Where Rona is most common

The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Rona. They are useful for spotting where the name is showing up in real numbers, while the rank beside each bar shows how strongly it performs inside that region.

Rona ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #406 in 2019.

Scotland
8

Across the UK

Rona in Scotland and Northern Ireland

Scotland (NRS)

#406 in 2019

43 years of NRS records, 364 total registered

Notable bearers

Famous people named Rona

  • Rona Israel-Kolatt

    singer

    Israeli singer

    1980-

  • Rona Fairhead

    former chairperson of the BBC Trust

    1961-

  • Rona Munro

    screenwriter; writer

    Scottish writer

    1959-

  • Rona R Ramsay

    researcher; biochemist

    Scottish biochemist

    1951-

  • Rona McLeod MacKie

    dermatologist

    Professorial Research Fellow, University of Glasgow

    1940-

  • Rona Anderson

    stage actor

    Scottish actress (1926-2013)

    1926-2013

  • Rona Murray

    writer; poet

    Canadian poet (1924–2003)

    1924-2003

  • Rona Randall

    novelist

    British writer

    1911-2000

Related

Names similar to Rona

FAQ

Rona: questions and answers

How popular is the name Rona in the UK right now?

In 2024, Rona was ranked #4192 for girls in England and Wales, with 5 births registered.

When was Rona most popular?

The peak year on record was 2018, with 16 babies registered as Rona in England and Wales.

What is the meaning and origin of Rona?

A feminine given name of Scottish origin meaning "rough stream".

How many people are called Rona in the UK?

A total of 208 babies have been registered as Rona across the 28 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 364 more in Scotland.

Where is Rona most common?

In the latest published local rankings, Rona ranks best in Scotland, where it placed #406 in 2019. The regional bars on this page use birth counts, so they also reflect the size of each region.

Which records is this page based on?

The England and Wales timeline uses ONS baby-name records. Scotland figures come from NRS and Northern Ireland figures come from NISRA. Counts are registrations in published baby-name files. The living estimate uses those birth registrations with ONS national life tables.