Ralph Explained
Ralph (pronounced or)[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
- 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.
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, 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
- Ralf Akoto (born 1974), German judoka
- 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 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 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 (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, 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 Emery (1933–2022), American country music disc jockey, radio and television host
- 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 (1921–2007), American football player
- Ralph Holley (born 1999), American football player
- 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 Jones (1880–1951), American high school and college football and basketball coach
- Ralph Kaminski (born 1990), Polish singer-songwriter
- 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 O. Olson (1902–1955), associate justice of the Washington Supreme Court
- 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 Savarese (born 1960s), American academic, writer, poet, and activist
- 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 F. Smart, (1908–2001) British film producer and director
- Ralph Stanley (1927–2016), American bluegrass/traditional music performer
- Ralph Terry (1936–2022), American former professional baseball player and golfer
- Ralph Dundas Tindal, Dutch military leader
- Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872–1958), English composer
- 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 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
See also
Notes and References
- Web site: AUE: FAQ excerpt: Words whose spelling has influenced their pronunciation . Alt-usage-english.org . 2018-04-18.
- http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=Ralph Online Etymology Dictionary
- Web site: 'H.M.S. Pinafore' at Russell Thursday through Sunday . 2008-09-13 . dead . https://archive.today/20120709203707/http://info.gcsu.edu/tip/archives/2007/H.M.S.PinaforeatRussellTh.html . 2012-07-09 . Raif Rackstraw from H.M.S. Pinafore
