Ralph

Ralph (pronounced /rælf/ RALF; or, more rarely, /reɪf/ RAYF,[1]) is an English, Irish, Scottish, Dutch, Scandinavian, and German masculine given name, derived from the Old Norse Raðulfr (rað "counsel" and ulfr "wolf") through Old English Rædwulf and the longer form Radulf.[2] It is also a surname and often a nickname of Rudolph, a name deriving from two stems: Hrōþi, Hruod, Hróðr or Hrōð, meaning "fame", "glory" , and olf meaning "wolf".

For other uses, see Ralph (disambiguation).

Ralph

Gender	Male
Origin
Word/name	Old Norse, Old English
Meaning	"Counsel wolf" or "Famous wolf" (Rudolph)
Other names
Related names	Raul, Raoul, Ralphie, Rudolph

The most common forms are:

• Ralph, the common variant form in the English language.

Other forms of the name are:

• Rafe, variant form which is a relatively rare male first name; it is pronounced /reɪf/.
• Raife, variant form which is a very rare male first name.
• Raif, variant form which is a very rare male first name.[3]
• Ralf, the traditional variant form in the Dutch, German, Swedish and Polish languages.
• Ralfs, the traditional variant form in the Latvian language.
• Raoul, the traditional variant form in the French language.
• Raúl, the traditional variant form in the Spanish language.
• Raul, the traditional variant form in the Portuguese and Italian languages.
• Raül, the traditional variant form in the Catalan language.
• Rádhulbh, the traditional variant form in the Irish language.

Given name

Middle Ages

• Ralph the Timid (died 1057), pre-Conquest Norman earl of Hereford, England
• Ralph de Gael (1042-1096), the Earl of East Anglia (Norfolk and Suffolk) and Lord of Gaël and Montfort, leader of the Revolt of the Earls
• Ralph de Diceto (c.1120–c.1202), archdeacon of Middlesex, dean of St Paul's Cathedral (from c. 1180), and author of two chronicles, the Abbreviationes chronicorum and the Ymagines historiarum
• Ralph d'Escures (died 1122), Abbot of Séez, Bishop of Rochester and Archbishop of Canterbury
• Ralph Neville (died 1244), Archbishop of Canterbury
• Ralph de Maidstone (died 1245), Bishop of Hereford
• Ralph Baldock (died 1313), Bishop of London and Lord Chancellor of England in 1307
• Ralph Stratford (c. 1300-1354), Bishop of London
• Ralph de Neville, 1st Earl of Westmorland (1364–1425), English peer
• Ralph Percy (died 1464), English knight
• Saint Ralph Sherwin (died 1581), Catholic Saint and English Martyr
• Ralph de Warneville, twentieth Lord Chancellor of England as well as later Bishop of Lisieux in Normandy

Modern world

• Ralph Abercromby (1734–1801), Scottish soldier and politician, one of the principal commanders of French Revolutionary Wars and French campaign in Egypt and Syria
• Ralph Abernathy (1927–1990), American civil rights leader, minister and a close associate of Martin Luther King, Jr.
• Ralph Abraham (mathematician) (born 1936), American mathematician
• Ralph Abraham (politician) (born 1954), member of the US House of Representatives
• Ralph Adams Cram (1863–1942), American architect of collegiate and ecclesiastical buildings
• Ralph Allen (disambiguation)
• Ralph Backstrom (born 1937), Canadian retired National Hockey League player
• Ralph Bakshi (born 1938), American director of animated and live-action films
• Ralph Barbieri (1945–2020), American sports radio personality
• Ralph Bass (1911–1997), American rhythm and blues record producer and talent scout for several independent labels
• Ralph Beard (1927–2007), American basketball player
• Ralph F. Beermann (1912–1977), American politician, member of the US House of Representatives
• Ralph Bellamy (1904–1991), American actor
• Ralph Blane (1914–1995), American composer, lyricist and performer
• Ralf Bochröder (born 1940), German marathon runner
• Ralph Branca (1926–2016), American Major League Baseball pitcher
• Ralph Brown, English actor and writer
• Ralph Bunche (1903–1971), American political scientist, academic and diplomat
• Ralph Burns (1922–2001), American songwriter, bandleader, composer, conductor, arranger and bebop pianist
• Ralph Byrd (1909–1952), American actor
• Ralph Carmichael, composer and arranger of secular pop music and contemporary Christian music
• Ralph Chaplin (1887–1961), American writer, artist and labor activist
• Ralph Chase (1902–1989), American football player
• Ralph Louis Cohen (born 1952), American mathematician
• Ralph Connor (1860–1937), Canadian novelist and church leader
• Ralph Connor (scientist) (1907–1990), American chemist
• Ralph Cooperman (1927–2009), British Olympic fencer
• Ralph D. Cornell (1890–1972), American landscape architect
• Ralph Cudworth (1617–1688), English philosopher, the leader of the Cambridge Platonists
• Ralph DeLoach (born 1957), American football player
• Ralph Drollinger (born 1954), American basketball player and clergyman
• Ralph Earl (1751–1801), American painter known for his portraits
• Ralph Edwards (disambiguation)
• Ralph Ellison (1913–1994), American novelist, literary critic and scholar
• Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803—1882), American essayist, lecturer and poet
• Ralph Fiennes (born 1962), English actor and director
• Ralph Foster (disambiguation)
• Ralph A. Gamble (1885-1959), Republican politician who represented Westchester County, New York in the United States House of Representatives
• Ralph Goldstein (1913–1997), American Olympic épée fencer
• Ralph E. Gomory (born 1929), American applied mathematician and IBM executive
• Ralph Horween (1896–1997), American football player for Harvard Crimson and in the NFL, centenarian
• Ralf Hütter (born 1946), German musician
• Ralph Ince (1887–1937), American pioneer film actor, director and screenwriter
• Ralph Isselhardt (1910–1972), American football player
• Ralph Jackson (born 1962), American basketball player
• Ralph Jarvis (born 1965), American player of gridiron football
• Ralph Johnson (disambiguation)
• Ralph Jones (1880–1951), American high school and college football and basketball coach
• Ralph Kerr (1891-1941), officer in the Royal Navy who served in First and Second World Wars
• Ralph Kiner (1922–2014), American Hall-of-Fame Major League Baseball player
• Ralph Klein (1942–2013), Canadian politician, Premier of Alberta
• Ralph Klein (basketball) (1931–2008), Israeli basketball player and coach
• Ralph Knibbs (born 1964), British rugby union player
• Ralph Kuncl, American neurologist and academic
• Ralph Lauren (born 1939), American fashion designer
• Ralph Macchio (born 1961), American actor
• Ralph McQuarrie (1929–2012), American conceptual designer and illustrator, noted for his work in the Star Wars trilogy
• Ralph Michael (1907–1994), English actor
• Ralf Moeller (born 1959), German actor
• Ralph Morgan (1883–1956), American actor
• Ralph Morgan (rugby) (c.1920–2009), Welsh rugby union and league player
• Ralph Nader (born 1934), American political activist, author, lecturer and attorney
• Ralph Nichols (1910–2001), English badminton player
• Ralph Nichols (American football) (1874–1949), American politician and college football player and head coach
• Ralph Northam (born 1959), American politician
• Ralph Percy, 12th Duke of Northumberland (born 1956), English landowner
• Ralph Recto (born 1964), Filipino politician
• Ralph David Richardson (1902–1983), English actor
• Ralph Sadler (1507–1587), English diplomat, Privy Councillor, Secretary of State and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
• Ralph Shortey, (1982) American politician
• Ralph F. Smart, (1908-2001) British film producer and director
• Ralph Stanley (1927–2016), American bluegrass/traditional music performer
• Ralph Terry (born 1936), American former professional baseball player and golfer
• Ralph A. Vaughn (1907–2000), African-American academic, architect and film set designer
• Ralph Waite (1928-2014), American actor and political activist
• Ralph Wammack, American politician, Missouri senator
• Ralph Webb (American football) (born 1994), American football player
• Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872–1958), English composer
• Ralph Wilson (1918–2014), founder and owner of the Buffalo Bills National Football League team
• Ralph Yarborough (1903–1996), American politician, longtime Senator from Texas
• Ralph Young (disambiguation)
• Ralph Young (singer) (1918–2008), American singer and actor

Surname

• Bo Ralph (born 1945), Swedish linguist
• Brian Ralph (born 1973), American cartoonist
• Caleb Ralph (born 1977), New Zealand rugby union footballer
• Damani Ralph (born 1980), Jamaican football player
• David Ralph (born 1972), Scottish field hockey forward
• Dicky Ralph (1908–1989), Welsh international rugby player
• Elena Ralph (born 1984), Miss Israel 2005
• Elsie Reasoner Ralph (25 April 1878 - 29 April 1913), The first female war correspondent in US history
• Glencora Ralph (born 1988), Australian water polo player
• Hanna Ralph (1888–1978), German actress
• J. Ralph (born 1975), American composer, singer/songwriter and producer
• Josh Ralph (born 1991), Australian athlete
• James Ralph (died 1762), American-born English political writer, historian and reviewer
• James Ralph (cricketer) (born 1975), English cricketer
• Jessie Ralph (1864–1944), American actress
• Kharis Ralph (born 1992), Canadian former ice dancer
• Mark Ralph (born 1980), Scottish field hockey player
• Michael Ralph (born c.1963), American actor and comedian
• Nathan Ralph (born 1993), English footballer
• Richard Ralph (born 1946), British ambassador
• Richard Ralph (Missouri politician), American politician, Missouri senator
• Shea Ralph (born 1978), American basketball player and coach
• Sheryl Lee Ralph (born 1956), American actress and singer

Fictional characters

• Ralph Cifaretto, on The Sopranos
• Ralph Kramden, portrayed by Jackie Gleason on The Honeymooners
• Ralph Wiggum, on The Simpsons
• Ralph Malph, on Happy Days
• Ralph Furley, on Three's Company
• Ralph Jones, title character of King Ralph, a 1991 American comedy film starring John Goodman
• the title character of Ralph 124C 41+, a 1911 science fiction novel
• Ralph, in the Wolf and Sheepdog Warner Bros. cartoons
• Raffish Ralph, fin the Berenstain Bears cartoon series
• Ralph, from the comic strip Drabble
• Ralph, from the comic strip Sally Forth
• Ralph Dring, in the UK sitcom Dear John
• Ralph Drang, in the US sitcom Dear John
• Wreck-It Ralph, the title character of the 2012 Disney computer animated film Wreck-It Ralph
• Ralph, a dog in the animated film Balto III: Wings of Change
• Ralph "Ralphie" Parker, main character/narrator of the 1983 Christmas movie A Christmas Story
• Ralph Theodore Guard, a security guard at Warner Bros. in the animated series Animaniacs
• Ralph, a giant wolf monster from the video game Rampage
• Ralph in Rotten Ralph children's picture books
• The title character from the children's novel The Mouse and the Motorcycle
• Ralph Rackstraw in the comic opera H.M.S. Pinafore
• Sir Ralph Shawcross from the TV series You Rang, M'Lord?
• Ralph Hinkley "Hankley" from the TV series The Greatest American Hero
• Ralphie Tennelli, character in Magic School Bus
• Ralph, the main protagonist in William Golding's 1954 novel Lord of the Flies, and also the two film adaptations: the 1963 film and the 1990 film.
• Ralph, on Detroit: Become Human

See also

• Ralphie, a related given name
• Radulf (disambiguation)
• Rafe (given name)
• Raul and its French cognate Raoul (disambiguation)
• Rudolph
• All pages with titles beginning with Ralph

References

1. "AUE: FAQ excerpt: Words whose spelling has influenced their pronunciation". Alt-usage-english.org. Retrieved 2018-04-18.
2. Online Etymology Dictionary
3. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2012-07-09. Retrieved 2008-09-13.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) Raif Rackstraw from H.M.S. Pinafore