 The place name is derived from the Old Norse personal name "Rǫgnvaldr" and the Old Norse element "vað" meaning "ford", or alternatively "vágr" meaning "large, narrow bay" as in Stornoway.It is possible that the eponym of Ronaldsway is Rǫgnvaldr Guðrøðarson, King of the Isles (died 1229).The site was once a landing place for Castle Rushen and Castletown.