Ralph
- Gender
- Boy
- Say it
- RALF
- Origin
- Old Norse
- UK rank, 2025
- #104 for boys
- US rank, 2025
- #1,046 for boys
Vintage revival
Ralph is a boys' name of Old Norse origin, meaning “counsel wolf”. In 2025 it ranked 104th for boys in the UK (560 babies) and 1,046th for boys in the US (211 babies).
What does Ralph mean?
Old Norse: from Radulfr, also via Norman French
“counsel wolf”
Brought to England by Norse settlers and the Normans; traditionally pronounced Rafe in Britain.
More on Wiktionary.
Is Ralph a girl's or a boy's name?
Ralph is a boys' name. In 2025, it was given to 560 boys in the UK and 211 boys in the US. Too few girls were given it to be listed.
How popular is Ralph in the UK?
- Rank in 2025
- #104among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 560about 1 in 540 boys
- Five-year trend
- Steadydown 19% in five years
- Same name in a class
- 2.6%chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 560 boys in the UK were named Ralph, making it the 104th most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 106th. Its busiest year was 2019, with 758 boys.
2025 had fewer boys named Ralph than any year since 2015.
Half of all the boys named Ralph in the UK since 1996 were born between 2014 and 2021, the years shaded on the chart below.
Among boys in 2025, it was 96th in England and Wales, 278th in Scotland and 270th in Northern Ireland.
In the England and Wales top 100 for boys, which the ONS has published every ten years since 1904: 1904 (#66), 1914 (#60), 1924 (#64), 1934 (#76), 1944 (#90) and 2024 (#94).
Ralph in the UK, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 560 | #104 |
| 2024 | 596 | #103 |
| 2023 | 576 | #105 |
| 2022 | 681 | #91 |
| 2021 | 716 | #91 |
| 2020 | 636 | #106 |
| 2019 | 758 | #95 |
| 2018 | 742 | #97 |
| 2017 | 682 | #108 |
| 2016 | 601 | #119 |
| 2015 | 540 | #128 |
| 2014 | 444 | #150 |
| 2013 | 365 | #178 |
| 2012 | 302 | #208 |
| 2011 | 216 | #248 |
| 2010 | 191 | #276 |
| 2009 | 149 | #313 |
| 2008 | 136 | #329 |
| 2007 | 123 | #340 |
| 2006 | 115 | #333 |
| 2005 | 99 | #357 |
| 2004 | 74 | #415 |
| 2003 | 72 | #398 |
| 2002 | 47 | #514 |
| 2001 | 54 | #447 |
| 2000 | 42 | #531 |
| 1999 | 53 | #458 |
| 1998 | 48 | #485 |
| 1997 | 49 | #453 |
| 1996 | 48 | #446 |
How popular is Ralph in the US?
- Rank in 2025
- #1,046among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 211about 1 in 8,100 boys
- Five-year trend
- Steadydown 6% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1%chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 211 boys in the US were named Ralph, making it the 1,046th most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 1,101st. Its busiest year was 1921, with 8,860 boys.
2025 had more boys named Ralph than any year since 2018.
Half of all the boys named Ralph in the US since 1880 were born between 1923 and 1953, the years shaded on the chart below.
Ralph in the US, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 211 | #1,046 |
| 2024 | 183 | #1,145 |
| 2023 | 169 | #1,192 |
| 2022 | 184 | #1,138 |
| 2021 | 186 | #1,111 |
| 2020 | 180 | #1,101 |
| 2019 | 203 | #1,023 |
| 2018 | 219 | #950 |
| 2017 | 185 | #1,066 |
| 2016 | 205 | #993 |
| 2015 | 186 | #1,065 |
| 2014 | 193 | #1,040 |
| 2013 | 194 | #1,008 |
| 2012 | 180 | #1,057 |
| 2011 | 208 | #953 |
| 2010 | 205 | #966 |
| 2009 | 211 | #953 |
| 2008 | 248 | #855 |
| 2007 | 239 | #868 |
| 2006 | 278 | #759 |
| 2005 | 258 | #769 |
| 2004 | 270 | #710 |
| 2003 | 300 | #658 |
| 2002 | 314 | #629 |
| 2001 | 319 | #610 |
| 2000 | 342 | #583 |
| 1999 | 343 | #569 |
| 1998 | 333 | #582 |
| 1997 | 364 | #544 |
| 1996 | 415 | #503 |
| 1995 | 413 | #502 |
| 1994 | 422 | #490 |
| 1993 | 520 | #428 |
| 1992 | 499 | #441 |
| 1991 | 562 | #405 |
| 1990 | 603 | #385 |
| 1989 | 662 | #347 |
| 1988 | 628 | #339 |
| 1987 | 724 | #297 |
| 1986 | 728 | #286 |
| 1985 | 753 | #277 |
| 1984 | 771 | #270 |
| 1983 | 846 | #249 |
| 1982 | 949 | #243 |
| 1981 | 898 | #247 |
| 1980 | 1,039 | #229 |
| 1979 | 1,080 | #216 |
| 1978 | 1,079 | #205 |
| 1977 | 1,253 | #187 |
| 1976 | 1,161 | #193 |
| 1975 | 1,343 | #173 |
| 1974 | 1,371 | #174 |
| 1973 | 1,558 | #157 |
| 1972 | 1,671 | #159 |
| 1971 | 1,991 | #149 |
| 1970 | 2,248 | #147 |
| 1969 | 2,416 | #126 |
| 1968 | 2,325 | #127 |
| 1967 | 2,553 | #117 |
| 1966 | 2,783 | #112 |
| 1965 | 3,225 | #103 |
| 1964 | 3,564 | #103 |
| 1963 | 3,931 | #99 |
| 1962 | 4,180 | #97 |
| 1961 | 4,443 | #95 |
| 1960 | 4,770 | #89 |
| 1959 | 5,048 | #84 |
| 1958 | 5,453 | #78 |
| 1957 | 5,709 | #76 |
| 1956 | 6,041 | #67 |
| 1955 | 5,965 | #67 |
| 1954 | 6,311 | #61 |
| 1953 | 6,513 | #59 |
| 1952 | 6,469 | #56 |
| 1951 | 6,525 | #51 |
| 1950 | 6,406 | #52 |
| 1949 | 6,748 | #50 |
| 1948 | 6,915 | #51 |
| 1947 | 7,389 | #50 |
| 1946 | 6,587 | #48 |
| 1945 | 5,785 | #44 |
| 1944 | 6,273 | #42 |
| 1943 | 6,771 | #40 |
| 1942 | 6,637 | #38 |
| 1941 | 6,040 | #38 |
| 1940 | 5,838 | #37 |
| 1939 | 5,959 | #35 |
| 1938 | 6,013 | #35 |
| 1937 | 5,923 | #34 |
| 1936 | 6,029 | #31 |
| 1935 | 6,090 | #32 |
| 1934 | 6,282 | #31 |
| 1933 | 6,185 | #29 |
| 1932 | 6,727 | #27 |
| 1931 | 6,960 | #25 |
| 1930 | 7,634 | #25 |
| 1929 | 7,715 | #26 |
| 1928 | 8,100 | #24 |
| 1927 | 8,434 | #24 |
| 1926 | 8,455 | #24 |
| 1925 | 8,467 | #25 |
| 1924 | 8,766 | #23 |
| 1923 | 8,629 | #23 |
| 1922 | 8,484 | #23 |
| 1921 | 8,860 | #23 |
| 1920 | 8,556 | #22 |
| 1919 | 7,709 | #22 |
| 1918 | 8,162 | #22 |
| 1917 | 7,391 | #21 |
| 1916 | 7,085 | #21 |
| 1915 | 6,816 | #21 |
| 1914 | 5,009 | #21 |
| 1913 | 3,963 | #22 |
| 1912 | 3,435 | #23 |
| 1911 | 1,674 | #24 |
| 1910 | 1,278 | #28 |
| 1909 | 1,091 | #30 |
| 1908 | 1,138 | #25 |
| 1907 | 997 | #29 |
| 1906 | 984 | #26 |
| 1905 | 938 | #27 |
| 1904 | 899 | #28 |
| 1903 | 807 | #29 |
| 1902 | 866 | #28 |
| 1901 | 682 | #29 |
| 1900 | 896 | #31 |
| 1899 | 742 | #29 |
| 1898 | 803 | #31 |
| 1897 | 697 | #32 |
| 1896 | 746 | #30 |
| 1895 | 736 | #30 |
| 1894 | 692 | #31 |
| 1893 | 636 | #31 |
| 1892 | 725 | #30 |
| 1891 | 587 | #28 |
| 1890 | 587 | #32 |
| 1889 | 495 | #39 |
| 1888 | 547 | #36 |
| 1887 | 463 | #38 |
| 1886 | 440 | #41 |
| 1885 | 422 | #44 |
| 1884 | 464 | #40 |
| 1883 | 385 | #45 |
| 1882 | 407 | #43 |
| 1881 | 329 | #45 |
| 1880 | 317 | #54 |
Nicknames for Ralph
- Ralphie 203 boys in the UK in 2025
Names like Ralph
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
Stanley Wilfred Alfred Frederick Albert Arthur Frank Edward George Rupert Otis Henry
Other spellings of Ralph
Names related to Ralph
More Old Norse names
Freya Ronnie Eric Astrid Colby Rafe Odin Erik Freyja Erick Bo Ronald Bjorn Erica Raife Ivar
Sources
Figures from Baby names in England and Wales (Office for National Statistics), Babies' first names (National Records of Scotland), Baby names (Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency) and Popular Baby Names (US Social Security Administration). Nameling last updated them on 20 October 2026. How the figures are worked out, and the data to download.
To cite this page: Nameling, “Ralph: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/ralph, updated 20 October 2026.