# Ralph (first name)

Source: https://namelineage.com/first-name/ralph/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. US counts from the Social Security Administration; England and Wales counts from the Office for National Statistics; meaning and etymology from Wiktionary. Data updated 2026-11-11.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Usually given to | boys |
| Origin | not recorded |
| Meaning | not recorded |
| Pronunciation | /ˈɹælf/, 1 syllable |
| Nicknames | Ralphie |
| Variant spellings | Rawle |
| US babies named this | 415,858 since 1880 |
| Boys / girls in the US | 414,018 / 1,840 (0% girls) |
| Babies in England and Wales | 9,433, 1996 to 2025 |

## Etymology

From Middle English Radulf, from Old English Rǣdwulf (also as Raulf), from Proto-West Germanic *Rādawulf, from Proto-Germanic *Rēdawulfaz. Reinforced by similar forms brought to England, e.g. Old Norse Ráðúlfr, then in the Norman form Old French Radulf, Radulph. For the sense relating to vomiting, see ralph.

## Popularity

The last 15 years of each series. A year is missing when too few babies were given the name for the agency to publish it: five in the US, three in England and Wales.

### United States, girls

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1974 | 7 | 7,462 |
| 1975 | 14 | 4,532 |
| 1976 | 8 | 7,097 |
| 1977 | 13 | 5,135 |
| 1978 | 12 | 5,456 |
| 1979 | 10 | 6,562 |
| 1980 | 8 | 7,932 |
| 1981 | 6 | 10,034 |
| 1983 | 5 | 11,538 |
| 1984 | 10 | 6,645 |
| 1985 | 5 | 11,976 |
| 1986 | 6 | 10,516 |
| 1987 | 6 | 10,892 |
| 1988 | 6 | 11,379 |
| 1990 | 5 | 14,641 |

### United States, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 208 | 956 |
| 2012 | 180 | 1,059 |
| 2013 | 194 | 1,010 |
| 2014 | 193 | 1,042 |
| 2015 | 186 | 1,067 |
| 2016 | 205 | 996 |
| 2017 | 185 | 1,070 |
| 2018 | 219 | 950 |
| 2019 | 203 | 1,026 |
| 2020 | 180 | 1,102 |
| 2021 | 186 | 1,111 |
| 2022 | 184 | 1,141 |
| 2023 | 169 | 1,196 |
| 2024 | 183 | 1,148 |
| 2025 | 211 | 1,048 |

### England and Wales, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 212 | 230 |
| 2012 | 287 | 193 |
| 2013 | 359 | 158 |
| 2014 | 430 | 134 |
| 2015 | 529 | 122 |
| 2016 | 587 | 112 |
| 2017 | 669 | 98 |
| 2018 | 719 | 88 |
| 2019 | 748 | 81 |
| 2020 | 615 | 95 |
| 2021 | 692 | 85 |
| 2022 | 667 | 86 |
| 2023 | 555 | 98 |
| 2024 | 572 | 94 |
| 2025 | 541 | 96 |

## In other languages

- Arabic: رَالْف
- Bulgarian: Ралф
- Catalan: Raül
- Chinese: 拉爾夫 /拉尔夫
- Danish: Ralf
- Esperanto: Rolfo
- Estonian: Raul
- Finnish: Rauli
- French: Raoul
- Georgian: რალფი, რაული, რუდოლფი
- German: Ralf
- Greek: Ραλφ
- Hebrew: רָאלְף
- Italian: Raul
- Japanese: ラルフ
- Korean: 랄프
- Latvian: Ralfs
- Lithuanian: Ralfas
- Polish: Ralf
- Portuguese: Raul

## People named Ralph

- Ralph Waldo Emerson, American philosopher (1803–1882)
- Ralph Fiennes, English actor, director and producer (born 1962)
- Ralph Bunche, diplomat, educator, civil rights activist and the first African American Nobel Peace Prize
- Ralph Steinman, Canadian immunologist and cell biologist (1943–2011)
- Ralphie May, American stand-up comedian
- Ralph Lauren, American fashion designer (born 1939)
- Ralph Ellison, American novelist, literary critic, scholar and writer (1914-1994)
- Ralph Nader, American lawyer and activist (born 1934)
- Ralph Vaughan Williams, English composer (1872-1958)
- Ralph Richardson, British actor (1902–1983)
- Ralph Waite, American actor (1928–2014)
- Ralph Macchio, American actor (born 1961)

## How to read these numbers

A count is babies registered with that name in that year, not people alive now, so a name common a century ago can have a large total and few recent births.