Ranulf was a masculine given name in Old French and Old Occitan, and is a masculine
given name
A given name (also known as a forename or first name) is the part of a personal name quoted in that identifies a person, potentially with a middle name as well, and differentiates that person from the other members of a group (typically a f ...
in the
English language
English is a West Germanic language that developed in early medieval England and has since become a English as a lingua franca, global lingua franca. The namesake of the language is the Angles (tribe), Angles, one of the Germanic peoples th ...
. ''Ranulf'' was introduced into
England
England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
by the
Norman conquest
The Norman Conquest (or the Conquest) was the 11th-century invasion and occupation of England by an army made up of thousands of Normans, Norman, French people, French, Flemish people, Flemish, and Bretons, Breton troops, all led by the Du ...
or alternatively is said to have been introduced to
Scotland
Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...
and northern
England
England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
, by Scandinavian settlers in
Early Middle Ages.
[ (read online]
/ref> However, most earliest historical figures with this name originated on the continent. It is derived from the West Germanic name ''Raginulf, Raginolf''.[ ''Nordic Names'' : ''Raginolf'' (read online]
/ref> This West Germanic personal name
A personal name, full name or prosoponym (from Ancient Greek ''prósōpon'' – person, and ''onoma'' –name) is the set of names by which an individual person or animal is known. When taken together as a word-group, they all relate to that on ...
is composed of two elements: the first, RAGN > ''ragin'', means "advice", "decision" ;wolf
The wolf (''Canis lupus''; : wolves), also known as the grey wolf or gray wolf, is a Canis, canine native to Eurasia and North America. More than thirty subspecies of Canis lupus, subspecies of ''Canis lupus'' have been recognized, includin ...
".
People with the name
* Ranulf de Blondeville, 6th Earl of Chester and 1st Earl of Lincoln (1170–1232), Anglo-Norman baron
* Ranulf de Briquessart (or ''Ranulf the Viscount'') (1050 - c. 1089), 11th-century Norman magnate and viscount.
* Ranulf de Vains (''Ranulf the Moneyer'') (c. 1015 – after 1035), Norman knight, around 1035 in Domesday Book
Domesday Book ( ; the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book") is a manuscript record of the Great Survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 at the behest of William the Conqueror. The manuscript was originally known by ...
* Ranulf I de Soules, Norman knight who came to Scotland with David I
* Ranulf le Meschin, 3rd Earl of Chester (1070–1129), Norman magnate based in northern and central England.
* Ranulf I of Aquitaine (''Ramnulf'', ''Rannulf'' see Ramnulfids) (820–866), count of Poitiers, duke of Aquitaine
* Ranulf II of Aquitaine (850–890), count of Poitiers, duke of Aquitaine
* Ranulf II, Count of Alife (died 1139), Italo-Norman magnate
* Rainulf Trincanocte (1045–1048), third Italo-Norman count of Aversa
* Ranulf de Broc (died c. 1179), Anglo-Norman nobleman and royal marshall
* Ranulf Compton (1878–1974), United States Representative from Connecticut
* Rainulf Drengot, Norman adventurer and the first count of Aversa
* Ranulf Flambard (c. 1060 – 1128), Norman bishop of Durham
* Ranulph de Gernon, 2nd Earl of Chester (1099–1153), Anglo-Norman baron
* Ranulf de Glanvill (died 1190), Anglo-Norman chief Justiciar of England
* Ranulf Higdon (or Higden) (c. 1280 – 1364), English chronicler and a Benedictine monk
* Ranulf of Wareham (died 1222), English bishop of Chichester
* Sir Ranulph Twisleton-Wykeham-Fiennes, 3rd Baronet, English adventurer
* Ranulph Harper, English Mathematician
Fictional characters with the name
* Ranulf, character in '' Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance'' and its sequel, '' Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn''.
* Ranulf, an additional natural son of Henry I of England in Sharon Kay Penman's Plantagenet series. The meticulous research for which Penman is noted extends to the names of minor characters. Completely fictional characters in her books are rare and are always identified in her author's notes. They serve as devices to illustrate aspects of medieval life, to reveal information, or to bridge gaps in knowledge, especially when such revelations would be out of character for the historical figures in her novels.[Penman, Sharon Kay. "Ranulf vs Richard," 5 May 2009. Author's blog article accessed at 14 July 2013.]
See also
* Ranulph
References
{{given name, cat=none
English-language masculine given names
Masculine given names