The first name Rudolf

In 2025, 4 boys were named Rudolf, making it the 4,275th most popular boys’ name. It peaked in 2017, with 6 births (#3,040).

Office for National Statistics; years with fewer than three births are not published and show as zero. Compare Rudolf with other names.

In 2024, 6 boys born in the United States were named Rudolf, the 12,080th most popular boys’ name that year. It was used most in 1927, when 82 were.

US Social Security Administration, from applications for a Social Security card. A name is only published for a year when at least five babies were given it, so quieter years show as zero.

Nicknames for Rudolf

• Rudi

• Rudolf Christoph Eucken
  (1846-1926) German philosopher
• Rudolf Diesel
  German inventor and mechanical engineer (1858–1913)
• Rudolf Hess
  German Nazi leader and Reich Minister without Portfolio (1894–1987)
• Rudolf Steiner
  Austrian social reformer, occultist and esotericist (1861–1925)
• Rudolf Clausius
  German mathematical physicist and professor (1822–1888)
• Rudolf Virchow
  German doctor, anthropologist, public health activist, pathologist, prehistorian, biologis, 1821–1902
• Rudolf Ludwig Mössbauer
  German nuclear physicist and Noble Prize in Physics, 1929–2011
• Rudolf, Crown Prince of Austria
  Austrian archduke (1858-1889)
• Rudolf Laban
  Austrian choreographer (1879-1958)
• Rudolf Kirchschläger
  Austrian diplomat, politician, judge, and eighth President of Austria (1915–2000)
• Johann Rudolf Glauber
  German-Dutch alchemist (1604-1670)
• Rudolf Dassler
  German businessman (1898–1974)

What does the name Rudolf mean?

Borrowed from Czech Rudolf and German Rudolf.

What is the origin of the name Rudolf?

Borrowed from Czech Rudolf and German Rudolf.

How popular is the name Rudolf?

In 2025, 4 boys born in England and Wales were named Rudolf, ranking 4,275th. Its peak was 2017, with 6 births.

What are nicknames for Rudolf?

Common nicknames for Rudolf include Rudi.

Is Rudolf a boy's or a girl's name?

Mostly a boy's name: 100% of the 2,951 US babies named Rudolf since 1880 were boys.

When was Rudolf most popular?

1927 in the United States, when 82 babies were named Rudolf, its highest rank at 720th.

Is Rudolf also a surname?

Yes. Rudolf is used as a surname as well as a first name; its surname page has the origin and how many people carry it.