Ralph
Ralph is a male name of English origin, derived from the Old English Rædwulf and Old High German Radulf, cognate with the Old Norse Raðulfr.
- English
- German
- Swedish
Meaning & Origin of Ralph
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Ralph is a male name of English origin, derived from the Old English Rædwulf and Old High German Radulf, cognate with the Old Norse Raðulfr.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)
- English
- German
- Swedish
The Story of Ralph
Ralph first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby boy name in 1880, with 317 babies given the name that year. The name hit its high-water mark in 1921: 8,860 births, good for #23 nationwide. About 20% of every Ralph on record arrived during the 1920s, its defining decade. As of 2026, Ralph ranks #1,170 for baby boys with 177 births, gradually falling (-9%). All told, over 414K Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1880s to the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Variants & Related Forms of Ralph
Foreign forms, alternate spellings, and nicknames that share roots with Ralph. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Names that sound like Ralph
Phonetically similar names — useful when Ralph is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.
Frequently Asked Questions about Ralph
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About the name Ralph
Ralph is a boy baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1880 and has accumulated 414K births in the dataset. Ralph's peak popularity came in 1921 when it ranked #21. Use the chart and map above to compare Ralph's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 1921 →
- Names of the 1920s →
- Names starting with "R" →
- Browse all boy names →
- Top names of 2026 →
Data sources
- Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
- Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
- Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
- Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
- Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .
Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.