Ronin

Ronin can be chosen through two different traditions. The Japanese word rōnin refers historically to a samurai without a lord, with imagery of wandering in its underlying components. Ronin is also used as a spelling of Irish Ronan, whose meaning is “little seal.” The two routes share a modern spelling but do not share an origin.

For parents, that distinction is useful when deciding which story they want the name to carry. Ronan makes the Irish connection clearer, while Ronin more directly resembles the Japanese term. The short form Ro works with either. A family can appreciate the sound without combining the samurai association and the seal meaning into one explanation.