# Randolph (first name)

Source: https://namelineage.com/first-name/randolph/  
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 | “shield”, “wolf” |
| Pronunciation | /ˈɹændɒlf/, 2 syllables |
| Nicknames | Randy |
| Variant spellings | none recorded |
| US babies named this | 49,536 since 1880 |
| Boys / girls in the US | 49,424 / 112 (0% girls) |
| Babies in England and Wales | 6, 1996 to 2025 |

## Etymology

From Old Norse rǫnd (“shield”) + úlfr (“wolf”).

## What it means

Randolph is grouped under wolf.

## 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 1951 | 5 | 6,040 |
| 1953 | 10 | 3,900 |
| 1956 | 6 | 5,802 |
| 1957 | 5 | 6,813 |
| 1958 | 5 | 6,796 |
| 1959 | 7 | 5,443 |
| 1960 | 6 | 6,225 |
| 1961 | 5 | 7,300 |
| 1963 | 6 | 6,420 |
| 1965 | 8 | 5,182 |
| 1966 | 5 | 7,346 |
| 1971 | 5 | 9,257 |
| 1973 | 8 | 6,505 |
| 1978 | 5 | 10,984 |
| 1986 | 5 | 12,300 |

### United States, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 59 | 2,223 |
| 2012 | 46 | 2,668 |
| 2013 | 41 | 2,832 |
| 2014 | 51 | 2,484 |
| 2015 | 45 | 2,709 |
| 2016 | 36 | 3,211 |
| 2017 | 42 | 2,878 |
| 2018 | 39 | 3,041 |
| 2019 | 26 | 4,085 |
| 2020 | 28 | 3,786 |
| 2021 | 18 | 5,287 |
| 2022 | 20 | 4,978 |
| 2023 | 30 | 3,782 |
| 2024 | 17 | 5,603 |
| 2025 | 20 | 5,003 |

### England and Wales, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2002 | 3 | 3,225 |
| 2008 | 3 | 4,432 |

## In other languages

- Chinese: 倫道夫 /伦道夫
- Esperanto: Randolfo
- Estonian: Rando
- French: Randolph
- German: Randolf
- Italian: Randolfo
- Norwegian: Randolf, Randulf

## People named Randolph

- William Randolph Hearst, American newspaper publisher (1863–1951)
- Randolph Scott, American actor (1898–1987)
- Lord Randolph Churchill, British politician, father of Winston Churchill (1849-1895)
- Randolph Bresnik, astronaut, Fighter pilot
- Randolph Churchill, British politician, son of British Prime Minister Winston Churchill (1911-1968)
- Randolph Caldecott, British artist and illustrator (1846-1886)
- Randolph Lycett, English tennis player (1886-1935)
- Randolph L. Braham, American historian and political scientist (1922-2018)
- Randolph Bourne, American writer
- Randolph Mantooth, actor from the United States
- Randolph M. Nesse, American psychiatrist
- Archie Randolph Ammons, American poet (1926–2001)

## 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.