The surname Ralph
A patronymic surname, carried by 8,153 people in the United States.
Pronounced /ˈɹælf/ 1 syllable Soundex R410 Also a first name
Origin
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.
Ralph is a patronymic surname: formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name.
Origin from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).
How common it is
2010 US Census
There were 8,153 people named Ralph in the United States in 2010, about 1 in every 37,869 Americans. That is up 2.1% since 2000, when the Census counted 7,987.
| Rank | Surname | People | 1 in |
|---|---|---|---|
| #4,354 | Knowlton | 8,157 | 37,850 |
| #4,355 | Tillery | 8,156 | 37,855 |
| #4,357 | Stallworth | 8,155 | 37,860 |
| #4,358 | Ralph | 8,153 | 37,869 |
Who is named Ralph
Race and Hispanic origin as people reported it in the 2010 Census
82% of people named Ralph identified as white (not Hispanic), 12% as Black (not Hispanic) and 2.6% as Hispanic or Latino (any race).
- White (not Hispanic) 82%
- Black (not Hispanic) 12%
- Hispanic or Latino (any race) 2.6%
- Two or more races 1.6%
- Asian and Pacific Islander 0.8%
- American Indian and Alaska Native 0.5%
Famous Ralphs
7 notable people on Wikidata, most written-about first
- Sheryl Lee RalphAmerican actress and singer, born 1956
- Jessie RalphActress (1864-1944)
- Jason RalphAmerican actor, born 1986
- Glencora RalphAustralian female water polo player, born 1988
- Anselmo RalphAngolan singer, born 1981
- J. RalphAmerican musician, born 1975
- Louis RalphAustrian actor, 1878–1952
Notable Ralphs come mostly from the United States (4), Australia (1) and Angola (1).
Spellings and sound-alikes
Useful when a record has your ancestor under another spelling
Variant spellings
- Rawle
Surnames that sound like Ralph
Ralph has the Soundex code R410, the code US census indexes have used since the 1930s. Every surname with code R410.
Questions
- Where does the surname Ralph come from?
- 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,…
- How common is the surname Ralph?
- 8,153 people in the United States had the surname Ralph in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 37,869 Americans. It ranked 4,358th of 162,253 surnames.
- What ethnicity is the surname Ralph?
- In the 2010 Census, 82% of people named Ralph identified as white (not Hispanic), and 12% as Black (not Hispanic).
- Who is the most famous person named Ralph?
- Sheryl Lee Ralph, American actress and singer, followed by Jessie Ralph.
- Where is the surname Ralph most common?
- Wikidata records people named Ralph in the United States, Australia and Angola and 1 other country.
- How do you pronounce Ralph?
- Ralph is /ˈɹælf/, one syllable.
- What type of surname is Ralph?
- Ralph is a patronymic surname, formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name.
- Is the surname Ralph getting more or less common?
- More common. 7,987 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 8,153 in 2010, up 2.1%.
- What are other spellings of Ralph?
- Rawle.
- Is Ralph also a first name?
- Yes. Ralph is used as a first name as well as a surname; its first-name page has the meaning and how many babies were given it.