Ronan is from the Irish Rónán — "little seal" (the seal in Celtic mythology was associated with selkies, the seal-people who could shed their skins to become human). A modern American baby name in the top-1000 since 2017 (girls; predominantly male). Ronan Farrow (born 1987) — *male; American journalist; son of Mia Farrow and Woody Allen (legally; biologically possibly Frank Sinatra); Pulitzer Prize for Public Service (2018) for his investigative reporting on Harvey Weinstein that catalyzed the modern #MeToo movement; first reported Weinstein for The New Yorker in October 2017; the New York Times and The New Yorker shared the Pulitzer; his 2019 book Catch and Kill documenting the investigation became a #1 New York Times bestseller. Saint Ronan of Locronan — 5th-century Irish saint and missionary. Ronan Keating (born 1977) — male; Irish singer; Boyzone lead vocalist. Ronan Anthony Villency (born 2010) — son of Greta Van Susteren. Saoirse Ronan (born 1994)* — Irish-American actress (covered separately as Saoirse). The name reflects the broader 2010s-2020s American taste for Irish Gaelic names alongside Liam, Aiden, and Finn.
Featured throughout Irish heritage and modern journalism.
In Pythagorean numerology the letters of Ronan reduce to 8, The Visionary. This is a traditional interpretive system, not a factual claim about the name.