boys' name ★ peaked 1921

Ralph

Gender Boy Rank 2025 #1,048 Trend → Stable

From Middle English Radulf, from Old English Rǣdwulf (also as Raulf), from Proto-West Germanic *Rādawulf, from Proto-Germanic *Rēdawulfaz.

Rank 2025
#1,048
among boys · ↑100 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
211
named Ralph · +15% vs 2024
How common
1 in 8,095
boys born in 2025
Peak year
1921
8,902 babies
All-time total
415,858
#82 all-time among boys
First recorded
1880
in Social Security records

Ralph popularity over time

415,858 babies have been named Ralph since 1880, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
2.557.51018801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
BoysGirls

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Boys Total Per year Change Best rank
1880s 16 4,269 4,285 429 – #36
1890s 33 6,951 6,984 698 +63% #28
1900s 33 9,298 9,331 933 +34% #25
1910s 227 52,522 52,749 5,275 +465% #21
1920s 486 84,466 84,952 8,495 +61% #22
1930s 311 63,802 64,113 6,411 -25% #25
1940s 180 64,983 65,163 6,516 +2% #37
1950s 185 60,440 60,625 6,063 -7% #51
1960s 184 34,190 34,374 3,437 -43% #89
1970s 128 14,755 14,883 1,488 -57% #147
1980s 52 7,998 8,050 805 -46% #229
1990s 5 4,474 4,479 448 -44% #385
2000s – 2,779 2,779 278 -38% #584
2010s – 1,978 1,978 198 -29% #950
2020s (to 2025) – 1,113 1,113 186 -6% #1,048

Where Ralph is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 boys (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 boys Implied rank
2026 210 0.12 outside top 500
2027 210 0.12 outside top 500
2028 209 0.12 outside top 500
2029 209 0.12 outside top 500
2030 208 0.12 outside top 500

Where Ralph is most popular

Boys named Ralph per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.108 per 1,000. Strongest in New Jersey, New York, and Florida.

Vs national average
well below below near national above well above no data

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are boys named Ralph born 2021–2025; the per-1,000 rate makes states of different sizes comparable, and the last column shows each state against the national average.

State Boys 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
New Jersey 48 0.238 +121%
New York 91 0.210 +95%
Florida 83 0.175 +62%
Pennsylvania 36 0.136 +26%
Utah 12 0.126 +16%
Missouri 17 0.123 +14%
Ohio 32 0.121 +12%
Michigan 24 0.117 +8%
Wisconsin 12 0.101 -6%
Illinois 25 0.098 -9%
Virginia 18 0.095 -12%
Massachusetts 13 0.095 -12%
Georgia 22 0.087 -20%
Texas 71 0.081 -25%
Indiana 12 0.075 -31%
California 56 0.061 -43%
Arizona 10 0.061 -43%
Oklahoma 5 0.057 -48%
Colorado 7 0.054 -50%
North Carolina 13 0.051 -53%
Minnesota 6 0.049 -55%
Maryland 5 0.042 -61%
Washington 6 0.037 -66%
Tennessee 6 0.033 -69%
Alaska – – –
Alabama – – –
Arkansas – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Iowa – – –
Idaho – – –
Kansas – – –
Kentucky – – –
Louisiana – – –
Maine – – –
Mississippi – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
Oregon – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Carolina – – –
South Dakota – – –
Vermont – – –
West Virginia – – –
Wyoming – – –

State counts come from the Social Security Administration's state files, which omit any state-year with fewer than five babies of a name, so small states can undercount slightly.

The story of Ralph

Ralph is uncommon for boys in the United States, ranked #1,048 in 2025 with 211 babies given the name. It is currently holding steady compared with a decade ago.

Since 1880, 415,858 American babies have been named Ralph. Its peak came in 1921, when 8,902 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1920s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Ralph stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Ralph?

The median living Ralph is about 69 years old; half are between 58 and 77. An estimated 149 thousand people named Ralph are alive in the United States today.

median 69 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Ralph year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank Boys Boys rank
2025 – – 211 #1,048
2024 – – 183 #1,148
2023 – – 169 #1,196
2022 – – 184 #1,141
2021 – – 186 #1,111
2020 – – 180 #1,102
2019 – – 203 #1,026
2018 – – 219 #950
2017 – – 185 #1,070
2016 – – 205 #996
2015 – – 186 #1,067
2014 – – 193 #1,042
2013 – – 194 #1,010
2012 – – 180 #1,059
2011 – – 208 #956
2010 – – 205 #967
2009 – – 211 #956
2008 – – 248 #860
2007 – – 239 #869
2006 – – 278 #761
2005 – – 258 #771
2004 – – 270 #712
2003 – – 300 #661
2002 – – 314 #630
2001 – – 319 #610
2000 – – 342 #584
1995 – – 413 #502
1990 5 #14,641 603 #385
1985 5 #11,976 753 #277
1980 8 #7,932 1,039 #229
1975 14 #4,532 1,343 #173
1970 21 #3,179 2,248 #147
1965 12 #3,899 3,225 #103
1960 17 #3,075 4,770 #89
1955 16 #2,934 5,965 #67
1950 15 #2,749 6,406 #52
1945 18 #2,042 5,785 #44
1940 27 #1,508 5,838 #37
1935 32 #1,298 6,090 #32
1930 45 #1,114 7,634 #25
1925 43 #1,189 8,467 #25
1920 42 #1,185 8,556 #22
1915 24 #1,512 6,816 #21
1910 7 #2,100 1,278 #28
1905 – – 938 #27
1900 – – 896 #31
1895 5 #1,770 736 #30
1890 5 #1,496 587 #32
1885 – – 422 #44
1880 – – 317 #54

Famous people named Ralph

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 Ralph Fiennes Ralph Fiennes English actor and director (born 1962) Contemporary
  2. 2 Ralph Macchio Ralph Macchio American actor (born 1961) Contemporary
  3. 3 Ralph Lauren Ralph Lauren American fashion designer and executive (born 1939) Contemporary
  4. 4 Ralph Waldo Emerson Ralph Waldo Emerson American philosopher (1803–1882) 19th century
  5. 5 Ralph Nader Ralph Nader American lawyer and activist (born 1934) Contemporary
  6. 6 Ralph Bakshi Ralph Bakshi American animator and filmmaker (born 1938) Contemporary
  7. 7 Ralph Waite Ralph Waite American actor (1928–2014) Contemporary
  8. 8 Ralph Bellamy Ralph Bellamy American actor (1904–1991) Contemporary
  9. 9 Ralph Richardson Ralph Richardson English actor (1902–1983) Contemporary
  10. 10 Ralph Vaughan Williams Ralph Vaughan Williams English composer (1872–1958) 19th century
  11. 11 Ralph Ellison Ralph Ellison American novelist, literary critic, scholar and writer (1913–1994) 1914–1994 · Contemporary
  12. 12 Ralph Bunche Ralph Bunche American political scientist (1904–1971) Contemporary
  13. 13 Ralph H. Baer Ralph H. Baer American inventor and engineer (1922–2014) Contemporary
  14. 14 Ralph Nelson Ralph Nelson American film and television director (1916–1987) Contemporary
  15. 15 Ralph Abercromby Ralph Abercromby British Army officer, politician and colonial administrator (1734–1801) 18th century
  16. 16 Ralph Metcalfe Ralph Metcalfe American athlete and politician (1910–1978) Contemporary
  17. 17 Ralph Siegel Ralph Siegel German record producer and songwriter (born 1945) Contemporary
  18. 18 Ralph M. Steinman Ralph M. Steinman Canadian immunologist and cell biologist 1943–2011 · Contemporary
  19. 19 Ralph H. Fowler Ralph H. Fowler British mathematical physicist (1889–1944) 19th century
  20. 20 Ralph I, Count of Vermandois Ralph I, Count of Vermandois French noble and Count 1085–1152 · Medieval

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Ralph, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Ralph?

The median living Ralph is about 69 years old. Half of all living Ralphs are between 58 and 77 years old.

How many people named Ralph are alive today?

An estimated 149 thousand people named Ralph are alive in the United States, based on 415,858 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Ralph mean?

From Middle English Radulf, from Old English Rǣdwulf (also as Raulf), from Proto-West Germanic *Rādawulf, from Proto-Germanic *Rēdawulfaz.

How popular is the name Ralph in 2025?

Ralph ranked #1,048 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 211 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Ralph?

415,858 babies have been named Ralph in the United States since 1880, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Ralph most popular?

Ralph peaked in 1921, when 8,902 newborns received the name.

Is Ralph a boy or girl name?

Ralph is overwhelmingly a boy's name: 100% of babies with the name.

Is the name Ralph rising or falling?

Ralph has been roughly stable over the past decade.

Will Ralph become more popular?

Ralph looks stable. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 208 boys named Ralph in 2030, ranking outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Ralph?

Well-known people named Ralph include Ralph Fiennes (actor), Ralph Macchio (actor), Ralph Lauren (fashion designer).

Names like Ralph

Names that sound and feel close to Ralph: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Ralph with similar names → More names starting with R →