Ralph (pronounced /rælf/ or /reɪf/)[1] is a male name of English origin, derived from the Old English Rædwulf and Old High German Radulf, cognate with the Old Norse Raðulfr (rað "counsel" and ulfr "wolf").[2]
The most common forms are:
- Ralph, the common variant form in English, which takes either of the given pronunciations.
- Rafe, variant form which is less common; this spelling is always pronounced /reɪf/
- Raif, a very rare variant.[3]
- Ralf, the traditional variant form in Dutch, German, Swedish, and Polish.
- Ralfs, the traditional variant form in Latvian.
- Raoul, the traditional variant form in French.
- Raúl, the traditional variant form in Spanish.
- Raul, the traditional variant form in Portuguese and Italian.
- Raül, the traditional variant form in Catalan.
- Rádhulbh, the traditional variant form in Irish.
First 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 (died 1191), 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
- Ralf Akoto (born 1974), German judoka
- Ralph Allen (disambiguation)
- Ralph Backstrom (1937–2021), Canadian hockey player
- Ralph Bakshi (born 1938), American director of animated and live-action films
- Ralph Barbieri (1945–2020), American sports radio personality
- Ralph Henry Barbour, American novelist, who primarily wrote popular works of sports fiction for boys
- Ralf Baartmans, Dutch DJ and Electronic music producer known as Ralvero
- Ralph Bass (1911–1997), American rhythm and blues record producer and talent scout for several independent labels
- Ralph Beard (1927–2007), American basketball player
- Ralf Becker (born 1970), German footballer, coach and administrator
- Ralph F. Beermann (1912–1977), American politician, member of the US House of Representatives
- Ralph Bellamy (1904–1991), American actor
- Ralf Bendix (1924–2014), German singer
- Ralph Blane (1914–1995), American composer, lyricist and performer
- Ralph Blegborough (1769–1827), English physician
- Ralf Bochröder (born 1940), German marathon runner
- Ralph Branca (1926–2016), American Major League Baseball pitcher
- Ralph Brinkhaus (born 1968), German politician
- 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 Cook (born 1944), Associate Justice of the Alabama Supreme Court
- Ralph Cooperman (1927–2009), British Olympic fencer
- Ralph D. Cornell (1890–1972), American landscape architect
- Ralph Cudworth (1572/3–1624), English scholar, cleric and theologian (father of Ralph Cudworth)
- Ralph Cudworth (1617–1688), English philosopher, theologian, the leader of the Cambridge Platonists
- Ralph DeLoach (1957–2022), American football player
- Ralph Drollinger (born 1954), American basketball player and clergyman
- Ralph Earl (1751–1801), American painter known for his portraits
- Ralph Earle, several people
- Ralph Earnhardt (1928–1973), American racing driver and patriarch of the Earnhardt racing family
- Ralph Edwards (disambiguation)
- Ralph Ellison (1913–1994), American novelist, literary critic and scholar
- Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803—1882), American essayist, lecturer and poet
- Ralph Emery (1933–2022), American country music disc jockey, radio and television host
- 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 Heywood (1921–2007), American football player
- 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 B. Ives (1973–1934), American businessman
- Ralph Jackson (born 1962), American basketball player
- Ralph Jarvis (born 1965), American player of gridiron football
- Ralph Jodice, American Air force General, one of the principal commanders of 2011 military intervention in Libya and Operation Unified Protector
- Ralph Johnson (disambiguation)
- Ralph Jones (1880–1951), American high school and college football and basketball coach
- Ralph Kaminski (born 1990), Polish singer-songwriter
- Ralph Kerr (1891–1941), officer in the Royal Navy who served in First and Second World Wars, one of the principal commanders of Battle of the Denmark Strait
- 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 Liguori (1926–2020), American racing driver
- 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 "Bucky" Phillips (born 1962), American fugitive
- Ralf Rangnick (born 1958), German football coach and manager
- 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 Savarese (born 1960s), American academic, writer, poet, and activist
- Ralf Schumacher (born 1975), German former racing driver
- Ralph Sheheen (born 1964), motorsport broadcaster
- Ralph Shortey, (born 1982) American politician
- Ralph Siegel (born 1945), German record producer and songwriter
- Ralph F. Smart, (1908–2001) British film producer and director
- Ralph Stanley (1927–2016), American bluegrass/traditional music performer
- Ralph Terry (1936–2022), American former professional baseball player and golfer
- Ralph Dundas Tindal, Dutch military leader
- Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872–1958), English composer
- Ralph A. Vaughn (1907–2000), African-American academic, architect and film set designer
- Ralph Waite (1928–2014), American actor and political activist
- Ralph Waller (born 1945), Methodist Minister, former Principal of Harris-Manchester College, Oxford, former Pro-Vice Chancellor of Oxford University
- Ralph Wammack (1867–1945), American politician, Missouri senator
- Ralph Webb (American football) (born 1994), American football player
- Ralph Wilson (1918–2014), founder and owner of the Buffalo Bills National Football League team
- Ralf Wolter (1926–2022), German actor
- 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 (1878–1913), first female war correspondent in US history
- Francis James Ralph (1892–1918), British World War I aerial observer flying ace
- 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 (athlete) (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
- Jolyon Ralph, founder of the mineral database mindat.org in 1993
- Kharis Ralph (born 1992), Canadian former ice dancer
- Mark Ralph (field hockey) (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
Family names derived from the word "wolf" | ||
|---|---|---|
| Celtic |  | |
| Germanic | ||
| Romance | ||
| Slavic |
| |
| Other | ||
Fictional characters
- Ralph Cifaretto, on The Sopranos
- Ralph Furley, on Three's Company
- Ralph Kramden, portrayed by Jackie Gleason on The Honeymooners
- Ralph Malph, on Happy Days
- Ralph Wiggum, on The Simpsons
- 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
- 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
- The title character from the children's novel The Mouse and the Motorcycle
- Ralph Nickleby, uncle of Nicholas in the novel Nicholas Nickleby by Charles Dickens
- Ralph Rackstraw in the comic opera H.M.S. Pinafore
- Sir Ralph Shawcross from the TV series You Rang, M'Lord?
- Ralph Waldo Simpson, a character on the American television sitcom Gimme a Break
- Ralph Hinkley "Hankley" from the TV series The Greatest American Hero
- 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
- All pages with titles beginning with Ralph
- Ralphs, a supermarket chain in Southern California, USA
- Ralphie, a related name
- Radulf (disambiguation)
- Rafe (given name)
- Raul and its French cognate Raoul (disambiguation)
- Rudolph
References
- ^ "AUE: FAQ excerpt: Words whose spelling has influenced their pronunciation". Alt-usage-english.org. Retrieved 2018-04-18.
- ^ Online Etymology Dictionary
- ^ "'H.M.S. Pinafore' at Russell Thursday through Sunday". Archived from the original on 2012-07-09. Retrieved 2008-09-13. Raif Rackstraw from H.M.S. Pinafore
This page or section lists people that share the same given name or the same family name.
If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change that link to point directly to the intended article.
If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change that link to point directly to the intended article.
This page was last edited on 11 April 2024, at 21:09