Baby Name of the Day: Ramona

The baby name Ramona blends a playful vibe with quite the glamorous past.

Thanks to Julie for suggesting our Baby Name of the Day.

WHAT DOES THE NAME RAMONA MEAN?

The baby Ramona sounds like it’s of Spanish origin, and that’s partially true.

First we have to go all the way back to the Middle Ages. 

The name ultimately comes from the Germanic elements ragin or regin, meaning wisdom or counsel, combined with mund – protector. 

Raginmund became Raymond. The Normans brought it to England. It also evolved in Spain. A handful of medieval figures answered to names like Raimundo, before it became Ramón. 

Short form Ray layers in additional meaning – the rays of the sun. Rae makes it gender neutral, and Rey is the Spanish word for king. 

Still, the baby name Ramona manages to feel separate from these associations, perhaps because it wasn’t familiar in the English-speaking world.

LITERARY RAMONA

While she didn’t invent the name, Helen Hunt Jackson’s 1884 novel Ramona gets credit for introducing it to American parents. 

Jackson’s story focused on a part-Scottish, part-Native American orphan and her life in southern California. Ramona was a smash hit. 

It even boosted California as a tourist destination – just a few years after travelers could first ride the Southern Pacific railroad to Los Angeles. (Once upon a time, a stretch of road was even called the Ramona Freeway.)

Ramona the novel inspired four movie adaptations between 1910 and 1936, plus a 2000 telenovela. 

The name gained steadily in use, peaking after the 1928 movie version starring Dolores del Rio.

RAMONA OF PORTLAND

And then the baby name Ramona’s image changed dramatically.

Instead of California glam, the name now suggests a different fictional Ramona. 

During the 1950s, readers first met Ramona Quimby. 

Initially a bit player in Beverly Cleary’s Henry Huggins series, by 1955 she was headlining her own adventures on Klickitat Street in Portland, Oregon. (The street and the neighborhood are real.) 

She and big sister Beatrice – also known as Beezus – continue to be popular, generation after generation. 

The books inspired a television series in the 1980s. In 2010, a movie starred Joey King as Ramona and Selena Gomez as big sister Beatrice. 

So much time has passed that the kids from the series have names that feel very stylish by 2020s standards. Think Henry, Daisy and Willa. The baby name Ramona fits right in. 

MORE FAMOUS FIGURES

A few more references include:

• Bob Dylan sang “To Ramona” back in the 1960s.
• In the 1930s, Ramona Davies performed with Paul Whiteman’s Orchestra in the 1930s. She sang and played the piano.
• Michigan was home to an amusement park called Ramona Park from the late nineteenth century through the 1950s.
• In more modern references, Ramona is the middle name of both Canadian-born pop singer Avril Lavigne and actress Delta Burke.
• Ramona Singer became a reality star as one of the Real Housewives of New York City.
• Maggie Gyllenhaal and Peter Sarsgaard chose the name for their daughter in 2006.
• If you know your Scott Pilgrim, you might immediately think of Ramona Flowers. Mary Elizabeth Winstead played the role in 2010’s Scott Pilgrim vs. The World.
• Actress Ramona Young is known for her roles in Never Have I Ever and The Paper, to name just two. 

HOW POPULAR IS THE BABY NAME RAMONA?

The baby name Ramona peaked in the year 1928 at #117, fueled by the Dolores Del Rio movie, as well as the movie’s title track, sung by Del Rio herself. The song went all the way to Number One. 

By 1989, it had fallen out of the US Top 1000 entirely. 

It returned in 2016. As predicted by the 100-Year Rule, Ramona felt fresh and interesting again, about one hundred years after it became a favorite.

As of 2024, the name stands at #772. 

OVERLOOKED VINTAGE GEM

All together, the baby name Ramona reads like an overlooked vintage gem.

If your preferences span truly old school antiques with Americana favorites, Ramona could be the perfect name for your daughter. Somehow it manages to be both – strong and fearless, childlike, but also sophisticated. It’s a shape-shifter of a name from a bygone era.

Nickname Rae is a bonus. 

With choices like Loretta, Marilyn, and Estelle gaining use, Ramona feels like an up-and-comer worthy of consideration. 

What do you think of the baby name Ramona?

First published on July 17, 2009, this post was revised on September 23, 2025.