Ralph

Ralph: name meaning, origin & popularity

Meaning
“wolf counsel”
Origin
Old Norse
Say it
RALF · 1 syllable
Used for
Boys

From Old Norse Ráðúlfr via Old English and Norman forms. The elements mean 'counsel' and 'wolf'.

How popular is Ralph?

202455.0 per million US babies
1880192019602000
Drag the line or the slider to read any year. Values are per million US births recorded by Social Security. Records before about 1937 undercount births, so early peaks can look taller than they were.

Babies named Ralph in 2024182

2024 rank#1,147 boys

Peak year1921

Total US babies since 1880415,639

Ralph is steady now but far below its 1921 peak.

Names like Ralph

Variants, related forms and names with the same roots.

  • Rafewolf counsel · English
  • Ericeternal ruler · Old Norse
  • Ronaldruler's counselor · Old Norse
  • Eriketernal ruler · Old Norse
  • Odinfrenzy, inspiration · Old Norse
  • Colbydark farm · Old Norse
  • DustinThor's stone · Old Norse
  • Gunnarwarrior · Old Norse

Ralph questions

What does the name Ralph mean?

Ralph means "wolf counsel". It comes from Old Norse. From Old Norse Ráðúlfr via Old English and Norman forms. The elements mean 'counsel' and 'wolf'.

Is Ralph a boy or girl name?

Ralph is mainly a boy's name in US records (100% of uses since 1880).

How popular is Ralph?

182 US babies were named Ralph in 2024. Its peak year was 1921.

How do you pronounce Ralph?

Ralph is usually pronounced RALF.

Birth counts: US Social Security Administration national data, 1880–2024 (names given to 5+ babies of a sex in a year). How we write meanings.