{{for|the place|Ragnall}} {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}} {{Infobox given name2 | name = Ragnall | image = Raghnall name.svg | image_size = | caption = ''Raghnall'' in a Gaelic type, note the lenited ''g'' in the name (''gh'') once appeared in Irish orthography with a dot above it, as pictured. | pronunciation = | gender = Masculine | nameday = | language = Old Irish, Middle Irish/Middle Gaelic | languageorigin = Old Norse | origin = Røgnvaldr, Rǫgnvaldr, Rögnvaldr | derivation = ''regin'' + ''valdr'' | meaning = "(German) Gods", "powerful" | variant = | shortform = | petname = | cognate = see list | anglicisation = | derivative = Raghnall, Raonall, Raonull | seealso = | popularity = | footnotes = | wikt = }} '''''Ragnall''''', '''''Raghnall''''', '''''Raonall''''', and '''''Raonull''''' are masculine personal names or given names in several Gaelic languages.
''Ragnall'' occurs in Old Irish,<ref name="Reaney">{{Citation |last=Reaney |first=Percy Hilde |author2=Wilson, Richard Middlewood |title=A Dictionary of English Surnames |edition=3rd |year=2006 |publisher=Routledge |location=London |isbn=0-203-99355-1 |page=2668 }}</ref> and Middle Irish/Middle Gaelic.<ref>{{citation |last=Woolf |first=Alex |authorlink=Alex Woolf |contribution=Scotland |editor1-last= Stafford |editor1-first=Pauline |title=A Companion to the Early Middle Ages: Britain and Ireland, c.500-c.1100 |series=Blackwell Companions to History |publisher=Blackwell Publishing |year=2009 |isbn=978-1-4051-0628-3 |page=254 }}</ref><ref name="Sellar">{{citation |last=Sellar |first=W. D. H. |title=Alba: Celtic Scotland in the Middle Ages |page=187 |year=2000 |editor1-last=Cowan |editor1-first=Edward J. |contribution=Hebridean Sea Kings: The Successors of Somerled, 1164-1316 |location=East Linton |publisher=Tuckwell Press |isbn=1-86232-151-5 |editor2-last=McDonald |editor2-first=R. Andrew |editor1-link=Edward J. Cowan |authorlink=W. D. H. Sellar}}</ref> It is a Gaelicised form of the Old Norse ''Røgnvaldr'', ''Rǫgnvaldr'', ''Rögnvaldr''.<ref name="Reaney"/><ref>{{citation |last=Downham |first=Clare |title=Viking Kings of Britain and Ireland: The Dynasty of Ívarr to A.D. 1014 |publisher=Dunedin Academic Press |location=Edinburgh |year=2007 |isbn=978-1-903765-89-0 |page=3 }}</ref> This Old Norse name is composed of two elements: ''regin'', meaning "(Germanic) Gods"; and ''valdr'', meaning "powerful".<ref name="Hanks-394"/> It has also been suggested that ''Ragnall'' could also represent the Old Norse ''Ragnarr'' as well.<ref>{{citation |last=Byrne |first=Francis John |contribution=Ireland before the battle of Clontarf |title=Prehistoric and Early Ireland |editor1-last=Ó Cróinín |editor1-first=D |series=A New History of Ireland |volume=1 |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=2008 |location=Oxford |isbn=978-0-19-821737-4 |page=855 }}</ref> ''Ragnall'' can be Anglicised as ''Ranald'' and ''Ronald'', and Latinised as ''Reginald'', ''Reginaldus''.<ref name="Sellar"/>
The modern spelling is ''Raghnall'' in Scottish Gaelic and either ''Raghnall'' or ''Raonull'' in Irish. Anglicised forms of ''Raghnall'' include: ''Ranald'', ''Rannal'', and ''Ronald''.<ref name="Hanks-355407">{{citation |last1=Hanks |first1=Patrick |last2=Hardcastle |authorlink1=Patrick Hanks |first2=Kate |last3=Hodges |first3=Flavia |title=A Dictionary of First Names |edition=2nd |series=Oxford Paperback Reference |year=2006 |publisher=Oxford University Press |location=Oxford |isbn=978-0-19-861060-1 |pages=355, 407 }}</ref>
The final ''-ll'' sound of the Gaelic names are de-vocalized{{clarify|reason=Does it mean "devoiced"? Either way, there are two more sensible explanations. In Gaelic, "ll" used to be ''ld'' (sometimes "ln"). And after the borrowing, in Scots, word-final "ld" evolved into "l" in most dialects.|date=October 2024}}, and to non-Gaelic-speakers this suggests ''-d'' sound. In this way the name is similar to the various forms of the Gaelic ''Domhnall'', which can be Anglicised as ''Donald''.<ref name="Black">{{citation |last=Black |first=George Fraser |title=The Surnames of Scotland: Their Origin, Meaning, and History |publisher=New York Public Library |location=New York |year=1946 |page=682 }}</ref>
==List of cognates== *Danish: ''Ragnvald''<ref name="Hanks-394"/> *Dutch: Ronald, Ron, Ronny, Reinout *English: ''Ranald'',<ref name="Hanks-355407"/> ''Reginald'', ''Reynold'', ''Ronald''<ref name="Hanks-234, 228-229"/> *Faroese: ''Røgnvaldur'', ''Ragnvaldur'' *French: ''Reynaud'' *German: ''Reinhold'' *Icelandic: ''Rögnvaldur'' *Italian: ''Rinaldo'' *Latin: ''Reginald'', ''Reginaldus'' *Norwegian: ''Ragnvald''<ref name="Hanks-394"/> *Old French: ''Reinald'', ''Reynaud''<ref name="Hanks-234, 228-229">{{citation |last1=Hanks |first1=Patrick |last2=Hardcastle |authorlink1=Patrick Hanks |first2=Kate |last3=Hodges |first3=Flavia |title=A Dictionary of First Names |edition=2nd |series=Oxford Paperback Reference |year=2006 |publisher=Oxford University Press |location=Oxford |isbn=978-0-19-861060-1 |pages=234, 228–229 }}</ref> *Old German: ''Raginald''<ref name="Reaney-2626">{{Citation |last=Reaney |first=Percy Hilde |author2=Wilson, Richard Middlewood |title=A Dictionary of English Surnames |edition=3rd |year=2006 |publisher=Routledge |location=London |isbn=0-203-99355-1 |page=2626 }}</ref> *Old Norse: ''Røgnvaldr'', ''Rǫgnvaldr'', ''Rögnvaldr'' *Swedish: ''Ragnvald''<ref name="Hanks-394">{{citation |last1=Hanks |first1=Patrick |last2=Hardcastle |authorlink1=Patrick Hanks |first2=Kate |last3=Hodges |first3=Flavia |title=A Dictionary of First Names |edition=2nd |series=Oxford Paperback Reference |year=2006 |publisher=Oxford University Press |location=Oxford |isbn=978-0-19-861060-1 |pages=394 }}</ref> *Welsh: ''Rheinallt''<ref>{{citation |last1=Hanks |first1=Patrick |last2=Hardcastle |authorlink1=Patrick Hanks |first2=Kate |last3=Hodges |first3=Flavia |title=A Dictionary of First Names |edition=2nd |series=Oxford Paperback Reference |year=2006 |publisher=Oxford University Press |location=Oxford |isbn=978-0-19-861060-1 |page=433 }}</ref>
==List of people with the given name== *Ragnall ua Ímair (died 921), king of the Fair and Dark Foreigners and king of Northumbria, the first known ''Ragnall'' *Ragnall Guthfrithson (fl. 943-944), King of York *Ragnall mac Gofraid (died 1004/1005), King of the Isles *Ragnall mac Torcaill (died 1146), ruler of Dublin *Ragnall Olafsson (''fl.'' 1164), mediaeval ruler of the Isle of Man *Ragnall Mac Gilla Muire (fl. 1170), leader of Waterford *Raghnall mac Somhairle (died 1207), king of the Isles and Argyll *Raghnall mac Gofraidh (died 1229), king of Mann and the Isles *Raghnall mac Amhlaibh (''fl.'' 1249), king of Mann *Ranald MacDonald (died 1386) founder of Clanranald *Ranald George Macdonald (1788-1873), chief of Clan Macdonald of Clanranald and Member of Parliament *Raonall Smith (born 1978), American, professional American football player
==As a patronymic== * Echmarcach mac Ragnaill (''fl.'' 11th century), king of Dublin, Man and the Isles, and the Rhinns * Ascall mac Ragnaill (died 1171), the last king of Dublin * Gofraid mac Ragnaill (died 1231), king of the Isles * Domhnall mac Raghnaill (''fl.'' early-mid 13th century), Hebridean flaith (prince) and progenitor of Clan Donald
==See also== *{{intitle|Ragnall}} {{Rǫgnvaldr-name}}
==References== {{reflist}}
{{Gaelic names}} {{Ronald-name}} {{given name}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ragnall (Given Name)}} Category:Masculine given names