Gender Masculine
Pronounced Pron. /ˈɹælf/(English) /ˈɹeɪf/(British English) /ˈʁalf/(German)  [key·simplify]

Meaning & History

Contracted form of the Old Norse name Ráðúlfr (or its Norman form Radulf). Scandinavian settlers introduced it to England before the Norman Conquest, though afterwards it was bolstered by Norman influence. In the Middle Ages it was variously spelled Rauf, Rafe or Ralf reflecting the usual pronunciation. The Ralph spelling became more common in the 18th century. A famous bearer of the name was Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882), an American poet and author who wrote on transcendentalism.

Related Names

VariantsRafe, Ralf(English) Ralf(German) Ralf(Swedish)
DiminutiveRalphie(English)
Other Languages & CulturesRaül(Catalan) Ralf(Danish) Raul(Estonian) Raoul(French) Radulf(Germanic) Raul(Italian) Ralfs(Latvian) Rēdawulfaz(Old Germanic) Ráðúlfr(Old Norse) Raul(Portuguese) Raul(Romanian) Raúl(Spanish)

Popularity

People think this name is

classic   mature   wholesome   strong   strange   simple   serious  

Name Days

Austria: September 7

Categories

Entry updated December 7, 2022