Ralph

For other uses, see Ralph (disambiguation).

Look up Ralph or ralph in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Ralph

Ralph de Gael

Gender| Male
Origin
Word/name| Old Norse, Old English
Meaning| "Wolf counsel"
Other names
Related names| Raul, Raoul, Ralphie, Rudolph
See also| Robert, Roland, Roger, Rose, Roderick, Rodney, Raymond

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

[edit]

### Middle Ages

[edit]

* 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 d'Escures (died 1122), Abbot of Séez, Bishop of Rochester and Archbishop of Canterbury
* Ralph (administrator) (died 1174), Bishop of Bethlehem
* Ralph de Warneville (died 1191), twentieth Lord Chancellor of England as well as later Bishop of Lisieux in Normandy
* 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 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

### Modern world

[edit]

* 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) (1936–2024), 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 Babet (born 1983), Australian politician
* 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 Beebe Blackman (1904–1990), American mathematician and engineer
* 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 Coates (1946 - 2010),English Footballer, Burnley, Tottenham and Leyton Orient
* 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 Della-Volpe (1923–2017), American painter, teacher
* 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 Fletcher (1780–1851), English surgeon and writer
* Ralph Perry Forbes (1940–2018), American neo-Nazi and Arkansas political candidate
* 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 Holley (born 1999), 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 (disambiguation)
* 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 Maxwell Lewis (1904–1987), American Rosicrucian
* Ralph Liguori (1926–2020), American racing driver
* Ralph Macchio (born 1961), American actor
* Ralph Malone (born 1964), American football player
* 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 Morton (1896–1985), puisne judge of the High Court of Southern Rhodesia
* 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 O. Olson (1902–1955), associate justice of the Washington Supreme Court
* 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
* Ralf Socher (born 1967), Canadian alpine skier
* 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 Welker (1911-1981), American politician
* 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
* Ralph Tanaka Magara (2001-date), Zimbabwean

## Surname

[edit]

* 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

* v
* t
* e

Surnames derived from the word for "wolf"

Celtic|

* Ó Faoláin
* Phelan
* Whalan
* Whalen
* Whelan
* Felan
* Folan
* Mac Conallaidh
* McNally

Germanic|

* Rudolph
* Ralph
* Ludolf
* Adolf

North Germanic|

* Lyall
* Ulfsson

West Germanic|

* De Wolf
* De Wolfe
* Love
* Volf
* Wolf
* Wolfe
* Wolff
* Wölfli
* Wölfflin
* Wolfs
* Woolf
* Woolfe
* Wulf
* Wulff
* Wulfson
* Wolfowitz
* Wolfsohn
* Wolfson
* Wolfram
* Wolfermann

Romance|

| Latin|

* Lupus

|

French|

* Leleu
* Leloup
* Loup
* Louvel
* Lowell

Iberian|

* Llop
* Llopis
* Lobato
* Lobo
* Lopes
* López

Italian|

* Lovato
* Lupo

Romanian|

* Lupescu
* Lupu
* Lupul
* Lupulescu

Slavic|

| East Slavic|

* Biryuk
* Biryukov
* Volchek
* Volchenkov
* Volchkov
* Volchok
* Volk
* Volkov
* Volkoff
* Wolkoff
* Volkovich
* Vovchenko
* Vovchok
* Vovchynskyi
* Vovk

|

South Slavic|

* Vuk
* Vučević
* Vučić
* Vučko
* Vučetić / Vuchetich
* Vučković
* Vujić
* Vukašinović
* Vukasović
* Vukčević
* Vukić
* Vukičević
* Vukićević
* Vuković / Vukovich
* Vuksanović

West Slavic|

* Vlček
* Vlk
* Wilczek
* Wilczyński
* Wilk
* Wolkowicz

Other|

| Baltic|

* Vilkas
* Vilks
* Vilčinskas
* Vilkelis

|

Basque|

* Ochoa, Otxoa

Estonian|

* Hunt

Finnish|

* Susi

Greek|

* Lykoudis

Hebrew|

* Ze'evi
* Ze'ev
* Ben-Zeev

Hungarian|

* Farkas
* Farkaš
* Farkash

Turkish|

* Kurt
* Kurtoğlu

## Fictional characters

[edit]

* 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, 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
* Ralf Olsen and Ralf Senior, from the manga series No\Name

## See also

[edit]

* All pages with titles beginning with Ralph
* Ralphs (surname), people with this surname
* 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

[edit]

1. ^ "AUE: FAQ excerpt: Words whose spelling has influenced their pronunciation". Alt-usage-english.org. Retrieved 2018-04-18.
2. ^ Online Etymology Dictionary
3. ^ "'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

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