Ralph

Last seen for girls in 1990 at #12,958 · #1,046 for boys in 2025, 211 births
Given to boys 99.6% of the time

Showing
Show data for
Peak · boys
1917 · 7,391 births
Debut · boys
317 births
In top 100 · boys
84 yrs
of 146 years
Total births · boys
414,018
since 1880

Ralph over time

boys

Rank among boys' names. Click any year to open it.

#1#10#100#1,000rank188019001920194019601980200020201891peak #21, 1917boys
Hover or use arrow keys to read values by year; click or press Enter to open that year.

Gaps mean fewer than 5 babies received the name that year, so the SSA doesn't publish it.

Show data table
Yeargirlsboys
rankbirthsrankbirths
2025—#1,046211
2024—#1,145183
2023—#1,192169
2022—#1,138184
2021—#1,111186
2020—#1,101180
2019—#1,023203
2018—#950219
2017—#1,066185
2016—#993205
2015—#1,065186
2014—#1,040193
2013—#1,008194
2012—#1,057180
2011—#953208
2010—#966205
2009—#953211
2008—#855248
2007—#868239
2006—#759278
2005—#769258
2004—#710270
2003—#658300
2002—#629314
2001—#610319
2000—#583342
1999—#570343
1998—#582333
1997—#544364
1996—#503415
1995—#502413
1994—#490422
1993—#428520
1992—#441499
1991—#405562
1990#12,9585#385603
1989—#347662
1988#10,3866#339628
1987#9,8256#297724
1986#9,5456#286728
1985#10,6775#277753
1984#6,29110#270771
1983#10,2755#249846
1982—#243949
1981#9,1106#247898
1980#7,4188#2291,039
1979#6,18910#2161,080
1978#5,21412#2051,079
1977#4,94213#1871,253
1976#6,6118#1931,161
1975#4,37014#1731,343
1974#6,9007#1741,371
1973#3,48118#1571,558
1972#3,89415#1591,671
1971#5,13610#1491,991
1970#3,11021#1472,248
1969#3,31817#1262,416
1968#2,78921#1272,325
1967#2,63222#1172,553
1966#2,45324#1122,783
1965#3,73312#1033,225
1964#3,37915#1033,564
1963#3,17616#993,931
1962#3,03317#974,180
1961#2,54323#954,443
1960#2,98917#894,770
1959#2,67819#845,048
1958#2,44922#785,453
1957#2,34723#765,709
1956#2,32123#676,041
1955#2,83916#675,965
1954#2,69517#616,311
1953#2,59517#596,513
1952#2,58117#566,469
1951#2,57716#516,525
1950#2,65215#526,406
1949#2,72614#506,748
1948#2,18820#516,915
1947#2,20020#507,389
1946#1,97022#486,587
1945#1,99318#445,785
1944#2,19916#426,273
1943#2,86111#406,771
1942#2,11717#386,637
1941#2,19015#386,040
1940#1,47727#375,838
1939#1,68421#355,959
1938#1,80519#356,013
1937#1,78419#345,923
1936#1,37528#316,029
1935#1,26432#326,090
1934#1,22134#316,282
1933#1,17936#296,185
1932#1,29332#276,727
1931#1,04345#256,960
1930#1,10145#257,634
1929#94158#267,715
1928#99456#248,100
1927#99059#248,434
1926#1,14844#248,455
1925#1,17643#258,467
1924#1,18844#238,766
1923#1,19742#238,629
1922#99756#238,484
1921#1,18442#238,860
1920#1,17142#228,556
1919#1,09045#227,709
1918#1,41130#228,162
1917#1,33730#217,391
1916#1,27832#217,085
1915#1,47524#216,816
1914#1,89613#215,009
1913#1,09125#223,963
1912#1,47714#233,435
1911#1,9567#241,674
1910#1,9357#281,278
1909#2,2085#301,091
1908#1,8626#251,138
1907—#29997
1906#1,9515#26984
1905—#27938
1904—#28899
1903#1,7925#29807
1902#1,4387#28866
1901#1,6795#29682
1900—#31896
1899#1,5965#29742
1898—#31803
1897#1,5555#32697
1896—#30746
1895#1,5925#30736
1894#1,4855#31692
1893—#31636
1892—#30725
1891#1,0068#28587
1890#1,3385#32587
1889#1,2795#39495
1888#1,1366#36547
1887—#38463
1886—#41440
1885—#44422
1884#1,0245#40464
1883—#45385
1882—#43407
1881—#45329
1880—#54317
First appearance
1880

In the first year the SSA published name data, Ralph was already there! It came in at #54, and was given to 317 baby boys.


Quietest stretch: 2007–2025, when fewer than 250 boys a year got the name.

Where Ralph is popular in 1891

The SSA only publishes names by state from 1910 on.

See more about Ralph
Momentum · boys
Holding steady
  • 99 spots since 2024 (#1,145 → #1,046)
  • 55 spots since 2020 (#1,101 → #1,046)
  • 19 spots since 2015 (#1,065 → #1,046)
  • Biggest jump: 116 spots in 2018 (#1,066 → #950)
  • Biggest drop: 109 spots in 2007 (#759 → #868)
Rise & fade · boys
37 yrs to peak
  • Debuted 1880
  • Peaked 1917 at #21 (7,391 births)
  • Births halved by 1964, 47 yrs later
Top of the charts · boys
Top 100 for 84 yrs
  • Top 10: never
  • Top 100: 84 yrs · run 1880–1963
  • Top 1,000: 134 yrs · run 1880–2011
Share of babies · boys
1 in 124
  • Highest: 1 in 124 boys born in 1918 were named Ralph (0.81%)
  • Latest: 1 in 8,095 boys born in 2025 (0.01%)
  • Its best rank, #21 in 1917, was only 1 in 125 (0.80%) — a smaller share of a much bigger birth year
Era · boys
The 1920s
  • 20.4% of all boys named Ralph (84,466) were born in this decade
Show by decade
DecadeBirthsBest rankAvg rank
1880s4,269#36 (1888)#43
1890s6,951#28 (1891)#30
1900s9,298#25 (1908)#28
1910s52,522#21 (1917)#23
1920s84,466#22 (1920)#24
1930s63,802#25 (1930)#30
1940s64,983#37 (1940)#44
1950s60,440#51 (1951)#65
1960s34,190#89 (1960)#107
1970s14,755#147 (1970)#176
1980s7,998#229 (1980)#278
1990s4,474#385 (1990)#485
2000s2,779#583 (2000)#739
2010s1,978#950 (2018)#1,012
2020s1,113#1,046 (2025)#1,122

All figures count published births only (names given to at least 5 boys in a year). Registrations before 1937 are incomplete, so early shares and totals run low.

Ralph in 1891

girls
#1,006
8 births · 1 in 23,185 girls
boys
#28
587 births · 1 in 172 boys

Top girls' names in 1891

  1. #1Mary11,704
  2. #2Anna5,099
  3. #3Margaret3,065
  4. #4Elizabeth3,059
  5. #5Emma2,884
  6. #6Florence2,716
  7. #7Ethel2,689
  8. #8Minnie2,428
  9. #9Helen2,417
  10. #10Bertha2,372
  11. #1,006Ralph8

Top boys' names in 1891

  1. #1John7,680
  2. #2William6,763
  3. #3James4,516
  4. #4George3,931
  5. #5Charles3,640
  6. #6Frank2,652
  7. #7Joseph2,572
  8. #8Robert2,240
  9. #9Harry2,132
  10. #10Henry2,049
  11. #28Ralph587
More about 1891

girls

185,482 girls got a published name in 1891; 1 in 23,185 of them was named Ralph, which outranked 34.4% of the 1,533 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 20.7% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Ralph
  1. #943Veva9
  2. #943Yvonne9
  3. #943Zenia9
  4. #1,006Ralph8
  5. #1,006Adelle8
  6. #1,006Agness8
  7. #1,006Aida8
  8. #1,093Ader7
  9. #1,093Adline7
  10. #1,093Alene7

Tied with 86 names at #1,006; 3 shown. Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.

Biggest movers since 1890
Risers
  1. ↑ 588Aurore#1,338 → #750
  2. ↑ 588Zelpha#1,338 → #750
  3. ↑ 499Leva#1,338 → #839
  4. ↑ 499Vira#1,338 → #839
  5. ↑ 483Sister#1,210 → #727
Fallers
  1. ↓ 574Prudie#758 → #1,332
  2. ↓ 571Delila#642 → #1,213
  3. ↓ 541Elmina#791 → #1,332
  4. ↓ 541Tinnie#791 → #1,332
  5. ↓ 520Dorcas#693 → #1,213

Among names in the top 1,000 of either year.

boys

101,191 boys got a published name in 1891; 1 in 172 of them was named Ralph, which outranked 97.5% of the 1,127 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 37.7% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Ralph
  1. #25Earl674
  2. #26David673
  3. #27Richard609
  4. #28Ralph587
  5. #29Joe584
  6. #30Raymond575
  7. #31Paul564
Biggest movers since 1890
Risers
  1. ↑ 487Colonel#884 → #397
  2. ↑ 470Mahlon#994 → #524
  3. ↑ 457Hezekiah#884 → #427
  4. ↑ 430Ruby#994 → #564
  5. ↑ 397Essie#994 → #597
Fallers
  1. ↓ 574Pierce#389 → #963
  2. ↓ 505Omar#458 → #963
  3. ↓ 452Benton#511 → #963
  4. ↓ 430Ivory#533 → #963
  5. ↓ 430Pleasant#533 → #963

Among names in the top 1,000 of either year.

See the top 100 for 1891 →