Ralph

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.
• Rauf, a Turkish variant and the name of Rauf Denktas. He was the founder of Northern Cyprus.

• 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

• 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
• 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 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 (1913–1997), American 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
• 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 musician
• 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
• 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

• 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
• Kate Ralph (born mid-19th century), Welsh composer and pianist
• 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

• 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
• Ralph runner in the animated series Loonatics Unleashed
• 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