The Ralph surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 8,153 people carried this name — #4,358 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 36,200 people counted. That is up 2% from 7,987 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Ralph surname

A surname originating as a patronymic.

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Ralph» (English), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.

As an English and Welsh surname

Bardsley classes it as a baptismal name, from a given name: ‘the son of Ralph’.

An early record he cites: John Radulphus, 1273 — Hundred Rolls.

From Charles W. Bardsley, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with Special American Instances (London: Henry Frowde, 1901), p. 634 · public domain.

In Ireland’s birth registers, 1890

Ireland registered 14 births for the Ralph name in 1890.

They were registered in all four provinces, most of all in Leinster. By the Registrar-General’s own method — births multiplied by 44.38 — that is about 600 people bearing the name in Ireland at the time. 2 of them were indexed under other spellings of the name.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they were born, 1890

Leinster 7
Connacht 4
Munster 2
Ulster 1

Registrar-General for Ireland, «Special Report on Surnames in Ireland» (R. E. Matheson, 1894), births index of 1890 — public domain.

In the Nordic population registers

38 people named Ralph is counted in Sweden.

Sweden’s figure is from 31 December 2022, the last count Statistics Sweden published.

Counted, by country

Sweden (2022) 38

Own calculations based on data from Statistics Sweden (SCB), surnames with at least two bearers, 31 December 2022 — CC BY 4.0 (names with 20 or more bearers shown).

In the first U.S. census, 1790

39 families named Ralph, or a close spelling, were counted in 1790.

Each family is counted by its head. About 201 people lived in those households, 5.2 to a family on average. The table counts it together with one other spelling. The table lists white heads of families only, in the twelve states whose 1790 records survive; Virginia’s figures come from state lists of 1782–1785.

Families, by state

Rhode Island 11
New Hampshire 6
Massachusetts 6
Pennsylvania 5
New York 3
Vermont 2
North Carolina 2
Maine 1
Connecticut 1
Maryland 1
South Carolina 1

U.S. Census Bureau, «A Century of Population Growth from the First Census of the United States to the Twelfth, 1790–1900» (Washington, 1909), table 111, p. 258 — public domain · names carried by at least 100 white persons in 1790.

In print

Ralph in American newspapers,
1895–1925.

Newspaper page from The White Mountain Echo carrying the name Ralph
The White Mountain Echo 1925-09-05
Newspaper page from Daily Kennebec Journal carrying the name Ralph
Daily Kennebec Journal 1917-10-05
Newspaper page from Birmingham State Herald carrying the name Ralph
Birmingham State Herald 1895-12-29

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 40,119 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Ralph in Australian newspapers,
1810s–2010s.

136,414 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Ralph. The most, 28,370, date from the 1930s. New South Wales has the most articles, but weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, the name stands out most in South Australia, at 1.6 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 38,334
Victoria 27,355
South Australia 23,602
Queensland 20,564
Western Australia 17,320
Tasmania 6,044
ACT (Canberra) 1,992
Northern Territory 193

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Ralph.

Who carried it

People named Ralph,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Julian Ralph
    Julian Ralph 1853–1903 · writer
  • Joseph E. Ralph
    Joseph E. Ralph 1863–1922
  • Jessie Ralph
    Jessie Ralph 1864–1944 · actor
  • John Jeffreys Ralph d. 1996
  • Robert FitzRalph 1150–1193 · Catholic bishop
  • James Ralph 1705–1762 · writer

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0 · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Ralph,
in the records of 8 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States1,264 records

1,264 records of the Ralph name in the United States
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 329
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 269
  • Other U.S. records 666
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record William B. Ralph

    Born 1903 in Wisconsin. Enlisted 1942 at Los Angeles, California; accountant. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1983, buried at Riverside National Cemetery, California.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Paula Ralph

    Arrived at New York in 1904 aboard the Moltke from Hamburg, aged 35; seamstress. From Germany, Austria; bound for New York.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)
  3. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record James Troy Ralph

    Born 1947; from Hobart, Indiana. U.S. Army, indirect fire infantryman; killed in action 1969 in Thua Thien, South Vietnam.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain)

Showing 3 of 1,264 records for Ralph in the United States.

Counts: NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain) · Sacramento County, Historic Burials (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain).

Australia865 records

865 records of the Ralph name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 348
  • Victoria wills and probate, deaths to 2001 222
  • Other Australian records 295
  1. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record Joseph Ralph

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Louisa in 1844. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1849.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Elizabeth Ralph

    Died 1926 in Public Hospital, Launceston, Tasmania. Will registered in Tasmania in 1926.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Maria Alice Ralph

    Born 1871 in Westbury, Tasmania. Married 1892 in Launceston, Tasmania, aged 21.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 865 records for Ralph in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · State Library of Western Australia (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Prison-ship in Portsmouth Harbour, with the convicts going on board, etching by Edward William Cooke, 1829, Royal Museums Greenwich (public domain); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain); Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain).

Canada180 records

180 records of the Ralph name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 105
  • Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver 19
  • Other Canadian records 56
  1. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Thos Ralph

    Came to Ontario in 1873 aboard the Medway, bound for Hamilton, Ontario; English.

    Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario.
  2. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Civil record John Ralph

    Killed in 1937 at the Dominion No. 2 mine, Nova Scotia.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.
  3. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Katherine Pauline Ralph

    Buried in 1979 at Queen's Park Cemetery, Calgary, Alberta, aged 84.

    City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary.

Showing 3 of 180 records for Ralph in Canada.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. · City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · City of Niagara Falls. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Niagara Falls. · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · Halifax Regional Municipality. Contains information licenced under the Open Government Licence—Halifax. · Contains information provided by the City of Waterloo under licence. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0); Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0).

United Kingdom91 records

91 records of the Ralph name in the United Kingdom
  • Scottish rolls of honour, First World War 44
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 36
  • Other British records 11
  1. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record John Ralph

    Born 1883 at Lossiemouth; fisherman. Served in the First World War. Named in the Morayshire roll of honour (1921).

    National Library of Scotland, Rolls of Honour (public domain)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Judith Ralph

    Buried in 1803 at St James's burial ground, Euston, London, aged 55.

    MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
  3. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record William Henry Ralph

    Will proved in 1925.

    National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0)

Showing 3 of 91 records for Ralph in the United Kingdom.

Counts: National Library of Scotland, Rolls of Honour (public domain) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. · National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0); Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain).

New Zealand11 records

11 records of the Ralph name in New Zealand
  • Christchurch City cemetery records 7
  • Thames-Coromandel District cemetery records 3
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 1
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Joseph Ralph

    Died 1911, aged 74; buried at Lyttelton Public Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Ruby Leone Ralph

    Died 1952; buried at Mercury Bay Cemetery, Thames-Coromandel District, Waikato.

    Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the Livre d’or of the French war dead, Paris
    Example: roll of the war dead
    War record W. Ralph

    Lance Corporal, New Zealand Infantry. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1918.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)

Showing 3 of 11 records for Ralph in New Zealand.

Counts: Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0) · Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0); Livre d’or of the war dead, Paris, Ministère des pensions, Archives nationales (CC0).

France2 records

2 records of the Ralph name in France France's national death register, 1970–2001
  1. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Michel Ralph

    Born 1900 in the Soviet Union; died 1990 in Villeneuve-la-Guyard (Yonne).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
  2. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record John Jeruny Ralph

    Born 1957 in Takoradi (Ghana); died 1997 in Magny-Cours (Nièvre).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Counts: Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Death register of Nice, 1930, Archives départementales des Alpes-Maritimes (public domain).

Netherlands2 records

2 records of the Ralph name in the Netherlands
  • Dutch population registers 1
  • Dutch civil registers (births, marriages, deaths) 1
  1. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record F.w. Ralph

    Died 1943 in Schoonebeek.

    Open Archives, Drents Archief (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the 1910 United States census, Milwaukee
    Example: U.S. census, 1910
    Population register Hughan Ralph

    In the population register of Delft; born 1877 in Soerabaija.

    Open Archives, Archief Delft (CC BY 4.0)

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0); U.S. census of 1910, Milwaukee (public domain).

Germany2 records

2 records of the Ralph name in Germany Germany's First World War casualty lists, 1914–1919
  1. A page of the German First World War casualty lists, 18 April 1918
    Example: German casualty list, 1918
    Casualty list Max Ralph

    From Lübeck. Reported wounded in the Prussian casualty list of 28 August 1916; then reported missing in the list of 5 May 1917; then reported taken prisoner in the list of 31 October 1917 (Infantry Regiment No. 162).

    Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0)

Showing 1 of 2 records for Ralph in Germany.

Counts: Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Deutsche Verlustlisten, Prussian list 1116, 18 April 1918 (scan via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Ralph.

When the index is not enough

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