Behind the Name
the etymology and history of first names
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View Name: Ralph


RALPH
GENDER: Masculine
USAGE: English, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, German
PRONOUNCED: RALF (English), RAYF (English), RAHLF (German)   [key]
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 usually spelled Ralf, but by the 17th century it was most commonly Rafe, reflecting the normal pronunciation. The Ralph spelling appeared 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
VARIANTS: Rafe, Ralf (English), Ralf (Swedish), Ralf (Norwegian), Ralf (Danish), Ralf (German)
DIMINUTIVE: Ralphie (English)
OTHER LANGUAGES: Radulf (Ancient Germanic), Ráðúlfr (Ancient Scandinavian), Raoul (French), Raul (Italian), Raul (Portuguese), Raúl (Spanish)
Popularity
United States  ranked #950 
Netherlands  ranked #378 



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