Ralph (pronounced or ) 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").
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 .
Raif, a very rare variant.
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.
Rauf, a Turkish variant and the name of Rauf Denktas. He was the founder of Northern Cyprus.
Contents
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 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
Ralph Abercromby (1734–1801), Scottish soldier and politician
Ralph Abernathy (1927–1990), American civil rights leader and minister
Ralph Abraham (mathematician) (1936–2024), American mathematician
Ralph Abraham (politician) (born 1954), American politician
Ralph Adams Cram (1863–1942), American architect
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, primarily sports fiction for boys
Ralf Baartmans, Dutch DJ and music producer known as Ralvero
Ralph Bass (1911–1997), American record producer and talent scout
Ralph Beard (1927–2007), American basketball player
Ralf Becker (born 1970), German footballer, coach and administrator
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
Kate Ralph (born mid-19th century), Welsh composer and pianist
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
Wreck-It Ralph, the title character of the 2012 Disney computer-animated film Wreck-It Ralph
Article from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0), where it is maintained by volunteer editors.
Ralph F. Beermann (1912–1977), American politician
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 baseball player
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, pop music composer and arranger
Ralph Chaplin (1887–1961), American writer, artist and labor activist
Ralph Chase (1902–1989), American football player
Ralph Coates (1946–2010), English 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), American jurist from Alabama
Ralph Cooperman (1927–2009), British fencer
Ralph D. Cornell (1890–1972), American landscape architect
Ralph Cudworth (1572/3–1624), English scholar, cleric and theologian, father of Ralph
Ralph Cudworth (1617–1688), English philosopher, theologian, leader of the Cambridge Platonists
Ralph DeLoach (1957–2022), American football player
Ralph Della-Volpe (1923–2017), American painter, teacher
Ralph Doolan (1933–2018), American politician
Ralph Drollinger (born 1954), American basketball player and clergyman
Ralph Earl (1751–1801), American portrait painter
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 Ely (1820–1883), American politician and military officer from Michigan
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), American politician from New York
Ralph G. Kevorkian, co-pilot in TWA Flight 800 accident in 1996
Ralph Goldstein (fencer) (1913–1997), American fencer
Ralph E. Gomory (born 1929), American applied mathematician and IBM executive
Ralph Haben (1941–2026), American attorney, lobbyist, and politician
Ralph Heywood (1921–2007), American football player
Ralph Holley (born 1999), American football player
Ralph Horween (1896–1997), American football player
Ralf Hütter (born 1946), German musician
Ralph Ince (1887–1937), American pioneer film actor, director and screenwriter
Ralph Ineson (born 1969), English actor, narrator, and writer
Ralph Isselhardt (1910–1972), American football player
Ralph B. Ives (1873–1934), American businessman
Ralph Jackson (disambiguation)
Ralph Jarvis (born 1965), American football player
Ralph Jodice, American Air force general
Ralph Johnson (disambiguation)
Ralph Jones (1880–1951), American football and basketball coach
Ralph Kaminski (born 1990), Polish singer-songwriter
Ralph Kerr (1891–1941), British naval officer
Ralph Kiner (1922–2014), American baseball player
Ralph Klein (1942–2013), Canadian politician from 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 Leycester (1763–1835), English politician
Ralph Liguori (1926–2020), American racing driver
Ralph Lownie (1924–2007), British judge
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 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
Ralf Nentwich (born 1982), German politician
Ralph Nichols (1910–2001), English badminton player
Ralph Nichols (American football) (1874–1949), American politician and college football player and coach
Ralph Northam (born 1959), American politician
Ralph O. Olson (1902–1955), American justice from Washington state
Ralph Penland (1953–2014), American jazz drummer
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 Salerno (1925-2003), New York police officer, author and recognized expert on the American mafia
Ralph Savarese (born 1960s), American academic, writer, poet, and activist
Ralph Schoenman, American left-wing activist
Ralf Schumacher (born 1975), German racing driver
Ralph Sheheen (born 1964), motorsport broadcaster
Ralph Shortey, (born 1982) American politician
Ralph Siegel (born 1945), German record producer and songwriter
Ralph Smart, (1908–2001) British film producer and director
Ralf Socher (born 1967), Canadian alpine skier
Ralph Stanley (1927–2016), American musician
Ralph Terry (1936–2022), American baseball player and golfer
Ralph Dundas Tindal, Dutch military leader
Ralph Towner (1940–2026), American multi-instrumentalist, composer and bandleader
Ralph E. Turner (1893–1964), American historian
Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872–1958), English composer
Ralph A. Vaughn (1907–2000), 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 from Missouri
Ralph Webb (American football) (born 1994), American football player
Ralph Welker (1911-1981), American politician
Ralph Wilson (1918–2014), American football team founder and owner
Ralf Wolter (1926–2022), German actor
Ralph Yarborough (1903–1996), American politician from Texas
Ralph Young (disambiguation)
Ralph Young (singer) (1918–2008), American singer and actor
Kharis Ralph (born 1992), Canadian former ice dancer
Konnor Ralph (born 2003), American freestyle skier
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
Toby Ralph, Australian public relations consultant
