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RONALD Family History

Although accepted as Scottish-Gaelic, the true origin of this surname is in fact Norse-Viking! It derives from the pre 6th Century personal compound "Rognvaldr", which translates as "counsel-rule", but probably meant "wise-counsel", or similar. Norse and Saxon names were usually "created" from warlike terms or reference to the gods, "Rognvaldr" is one of the more peaceful forms. Whilst the first introduction into the Isles of Britain was through the Viking conquest of the Isle of Man in the 8th Century A.D., the name was also brought in by both the Anglo-Saxons (8th Century) and the Normans after 1066, although in the latter cases the usual form was "Reynold"...