Ralph (pronounced ; or ,) is a male given name of English, Scottish and Irish origin, derived from the Old English ''Rædwulf'' and Radulf, cognate with the Old Norse ''Raðulfr'' (''rað'' "counsel" and ''ulfr'' "wolf"). The most common forms are: * Ralph, the common variant form in

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

, which takes either of the given pronunciations. *

Rafe In Hebrew orthography the rafe or raphe ( he, רָפֶה, , meaning "weak, limp") is a diacritic (), a subtle horizontal overbar placed above certain letters to indicate that they are to be pronounced as fricatives. It originated with the Ti ...

, variant form which is less common; this spelling is always pronounced , as are all other English spellings without "l". *

Raife Raife is a masculine given name (pronounced ''rayf''). It is an English, Scandinavian and German given name for a male, used in many countries across the world but most popular in English-speaking countries. It is of Old Norse origin (meaning "couns ...

, a very rare variant. * Raif, a very rare variant. Raif Rackstraw from H.M.S. Pinafore * Ralf, the traditional variant form in

Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...

, and

Polish Polish may refer to: * Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe * Polish language * Poles Poles,, ; singular masculine: ''Polak'', singular feminine: ''Polka'' or Polish people, are a West Slavic nation and ethnic group, w ...

. * Ralfs, the traditional variant form in Latvian. * Raoul, the traditional variant form in French. * Raúl, the traditional variant form in

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

. *

Raul Raul, Raúl and Raül are the Italian, Portuguese, Romanian, Spanish, Galician, Asturian, Basque, Aragonese, and Catalan forms of the Anglo-Germanic given name Ralph or Rudolph. They are cognates of the French Raoul. Raul, Raúl or Raül may re ...

, the traditional variant form in

Portuguese Portuguese may refer to: * anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal ** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods ** Portuguese language, a Romance language *** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language ** Portu ...

and

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

. * Raül, the traditional variant form in

Catalan Catalan may refer to: Catalonia From, or related to Catalonia: * Catalan language, a Romance language * Catalans, an ethnic group formed by the people from, or with origins in, Northern or southern Catalonia Places * 13178 Catalan, asteroid #1 ...

. * Rádhulbh, the traditional variant form in

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

Given 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 de Diceto Ralph de Diceto (or Ralph of Diss; c. 1120c. 1202) was archdeacon of Middlesex, dean of St Paul's Cathedral (from c. 1180), and author of two chronicles, the ''Abbreviationes chronicorum'' and the ''Ymagines historiarum''. Early career Ralph is ...

(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 d'Escures Ralph d'Escures (also known as RadulfEadmer. ''Eadmer’s History of Recent Events in England = Historia Novorum in Anglia''. Translated by Geoffrey Bosanquet. London: Cresset Press, 1964. ) (died 20 October 1122) was a medieval Roman Catholic D ...

(died 1122), Abbot of Séez, Bishop of Rochester and Archbishop of Canterbury *

Ralph Neville Ralph Neville (or Ralf NevillClanchy ''From Memory to Written Record'' p. 90 or Ralph de Neville; died 1244) was a medieval clergyman and politician who served as Bishop of Chichester and Lord Chancellor of England. Neville first appears in t ...

(died 1244), Archbishop of Canterbury * Ralph de Maidstone (died 1245), Bishop of Hereford *

Ralph Baldock __NOTOC__ Ralph Baldock (or Ralph de Baldoc) was a medieval Bishop of London. Baldock was elected on 24 February 1304, confirmed 10 May, and consecrated on 30 January 1306.Fryde, et al. ''Handbook of British Chronology'' p. 258 Baldock served a ...

(died 1313), Bishop of London and Lord Chancellor of England in 1307 *

Ralph Stratford Ralph Stratford ( c. 1300–1354), also known as Ralph Hatton of Stratford, was a medieval Bishop of London. Early life Born in Stratford-on-Avon at the beginning of the fourteenth century, Stratford's parents may have been Thomas Hatton (of W ...

(c. 1300 – 1354), Bishop of London *

Ralph de Neville, 1st Earl of Westmorland Ralph Neville, 1st Earl of Westmorland Earl Marshal (c. 136421 October 1425), was an English nobleman of the House of Neville. Origins Ralph Neville was born about 1364, the son of John Neville, 3rd Baron Neville by his wife Maud Percy (d. ...

(1364–1425), English peer *

Ralph Percy Sir Ralph Percy (11 August 1425 – 25 April 1464) was an English nobleman of the House of Percy, a knight, a Governor of Bamburgh Castle and a supporter of the Lancastrian faction in the Wars of the Roses. Percy was the son of Henry Percy, 2nd ...

(died 1464), English knight * Saint Ralph Sherwin (died 1581), Catholic saint and English martyr * Ralph de Warneville (died 1191), twentieth Lord Chancellor of England as well as later Bishop of Lisieux in Normandy

Modern world

* 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) (born 1936), 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 * Ralph Allen (disambiguation) * 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 Blane (1914–1995), American composer, lyricist and performer * 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 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 (died 1624), 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 Drollinger (born 1954), American basketball player and clergyman * Ralph Earl (1751–1801), American painter known for his portraits * Ralph Earle (disambiguation), 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 Fiennes (born 1962), English actor and director * 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 * 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 (born 1962), American basketball player * 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 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 Liguori (1926–2020), American racing driver * Ralph Macchio (born 1961), American actor * 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 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 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 * 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 Smart, Ralph F. Smart, (1908–2001) British film producer and director * Ralph Stanley (1927–2016), American bluegrass/traditional music performer * Ralph Terry (born 1936), American former professional baseball player and golfer * :nl:Ralph Dundas Tindal, Ralph Dundas Tindal, Dutch military leader * 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 Vaughan Williams (1872–1958), English composer * 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

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 * 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 (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 * 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

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'' * 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 (comic strip), Drabble'' * Ralph, from the comic strip ''Sally Forth (syndicated strip), Sally Forth'' * Ralph Dring, in the UK sitcom Dear John (UK TV series), ''Dear John'' * Ralph Drang, in the US sitcom Dear John (U.S. TV series), ''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 Theodore Guard, a security guard at Warner Bros. in the animated series ''Animaniacs'' * Ralph, a giant wolf monster from the video game ''Rampage (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#The Nickleby family, 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!#Main characters, 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: Lord of the Flies (1963 film), the 1963 film and Lord of the Flies (1990 film), the 1990 film. * Ralph, on ''Detroit: Become Human''

References