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#1,000rank188019001920194019601980200020201927peak #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 1927

  • Rank in state
  • Top 10
  • 11–50
  • 51–100
  • 101–500
  • 501+
  • Not published
Alaska: fewer than 5 boys named Ralph, so not publishedAKMaine: #17 for boys · 78 births · 1 in 79 boysMEVermont: #25 for boys · 28 births · 1 in 91 boysVTNew Hampshire: #29 for boys · 33 births · 1 in 98 boysNHWashington: #17 for boys · 98 births · 1 in 96 boysWAIdaho: #25 for boys · 32 births · 1 in 112 boysIDMontana: #22 for boys · 35 births · 1 in 111 boysMTNorth Dakota: #31 for boys · 51 births · 1 in 122 boysNDMinnesota: #28 for boys · 161 births · 1 in 131 boysMNIllinois: #21 for boys · 531 births · 1 in 111 boysILWisconsin: #20 for boys · 240 births · 1 in 102 boysWIMichigan: #24 for boys · 347 births · 1 in 121 boysMINew York: #37 for boys · 689 births · 1 in 142 boysNYMassachusetts: #26 for boys · 293 births · 1 in 116 boysMARhode Island: #27 for boys · 50 births · 1 in 107 boysRIOregon: #15 for boys · 63 births · 1 in 92 boysORNevada: fewer than 5 boys named Ralph, so not publishedNVWyoming: #35 for boys · 11 births · 1 in 143 boysWYSouth Dakota: #37 for boys · 44 births · 1 in 127 boysSDIowa: #22 for boys · 167 births · 1 in 118 boysIAIndiana: #17 for boys · 289 births · 1 in 90 boysINOhio: #18 for boys · 605 births · 1 in 88 boysOHPennsylvania: #28 for boys · 692 births · 1 in 127 boysPANew Jersey: #30 for boys · 224 births · 1 in 134 boysNJConnecticut: #31 for boys · 90 births · 1 in 133 boysCTCalifornia: #25 for boys · 311 births · 1 in 120 boysCAUtah: #16 for boys · 63 births · 1 in 77 boysUTColorado: #25 for boys · 73 births · 1 in 112 boysCONebraska: #28 for boys · 85 births · 1 in 138 boysNEMissouri: #19 for boys · 295 births · 1 in 99 boysMOKentucky: #24 for boys · 226 births · 1 in 118 boysKYWest Virginia: #24 for boys · 181 births · 1 in 101 boysWVVirginia: #21 for boys · 198 births · 1 in 117 boysVAMaryland: #31 for boys · 88 births · 1 in 144 boysMDDelaware: #18 for boys · 19 births · 1 in 75 boysDEArizona: #28 for boys · 35 births · 1 in 116 boysAZNew Mexico: #48 for boys · 21 births · 1 in 199 boysNMKansas: #13 for boys · 174 births · 1 in 87 boysKSArkansas: #33 for boys · 114 births · 1 in 158 boysARTennessee: #23 for boys · 213 births · 1 in 118 boysTNNorth Carolina: #21 for boys · 307 births · 1 in 114 boysNCSouth Carolina: #31 for boys · 113 births · 1 in 163 boysSCDistrict of Columbia: #19 for boys · 42 births · 1 in 83 boysDCOklahoma: #26 for boys · 176 births · 1 in 131 boysOKLouisiana: #60 for boys · 81 births · 1 in 251 boysLAMississippi: #58 for boys · 65 births · 1 in 318 boysMSAlabama: #33 for boys · 160 births · 1 in 177 boysALGeorgia: #26 for boys · 200 births · 1 in 142 boysGAHawaii: #68 for boys · 12 births · 1 in 270 boysHITexas: #54 for boys · 210 births · 1 in 271 boysTXFlorida: #27 for boys · 114 births · 1 in 128 boysFL

Hover or tap a state for its numbers.

Top states · boys
  1. Kansas#13 · 1 in 87
  2. Oregon#15 · 1 in 92
  3. Utah#16 · 1 in 77
  4. Maine#17 · 1 in 79
  5. Indiana#17 · 1 in 90

Best ever in a state: #8 in Idaho, 1914.

Show every state
StateRankBirthsShare
Kansas#131741 in 87
Oregon#15631 in 92
Utah#16631 in 77
Indiana#172891 in 90
Maine#17781 in 79
Washington#17981 in 96
Delaware#18191 in 75
Ohio#186051 in 88
District of Columbia#19421 in 83
Missouri#192951 in 99
Wisconsin#202401 in 102
Illinois#215311 in 111
North Carolina#213071 in 114
Virginia#211981 in 117
Iowa#221671 in 118
Montana#22351 in 111
Tennessee#232131 in 118
Kentucky#242261 in 118
Michigan#243471 in 121
West Virginia#241811 in 101
California#253111 in 120
Colorado#25731 in 112
Idaho#25321 in 112
Vermont#25281 in 91
Georgia#262001 in 142
Massachusetts#262931 in 116
Oklahoma#261761 in 131
Florida#271141 in 128
Rhode Island#27501 in 107
Arizona#28351 in 116
Minnesota#281611 in 131
Nebraska#28851 in 138
Pennsylvania#286921 in 127
New Hampshire#29331 in 98
New Jersey#302241 in 134
Connecticut#31901 in 133
Maryland#31881 in 144
North Dakota#31511 in 122
South Carolina#311131 in 163
Alabama#331601 in 177
Arkansas#331141 in 158
Wyoming#35111 in 143
New York#376891 in 142
South Dakota#37441 in 127
New Mexico#48211 in 199
Texas#542101 in 271
Mississippi#58651 in 318
Louisiana#60811 in 251
Hawaii#68121 in 270
Alaska———
Nevada———

Ranks are within each state; “1 in N” is out of the boys born there that year. The SSA only publishes a name in a state when 5 or more babies of one sex got it.

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 1927

girls
#990
59 births · 1 in 20,211 girls
boys
#24
8,434 births · 1 in 134 boys

Top girls' names in 1927

  1. #1Mary70,642
  2. #2Dorothy35,993
  3. #3Betty35,424
  4. #4Helen25,316
  5. #5Margaret21,964
  6. #6Ruth19,412
  7. #7Doris16,512
  8. #8Virginia15,734
  9. #9Shirley13,314
  10. #10Barbara13,161
  11. #990Ralph59

Top boys' names in 1927

  1. #1Robert61,674
  2. #2John55,949
  3. #3James53,674
  4. #4William51,476
  5. #5Charles31,941
  6. #6Richard26,768
  7. #7George25,949
  8. #8Donald23,834
  9. #9Joseph23,503
  10. #10Edward19,115
  11. #24Ralph8,434
More about 1927

girls

1,192,431 girls got a published name in 1927; 1 in 20,211 of them was named Ralph, which outranked 82.3% of the 5,602 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 22.4% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Ralph
  1. #982Venita60
  2. #982Vina60
  3. #982Yetta60
  4. #990Ralph59
  5. #990Ceola59
  6. #990Dorathy59
  7. #990Earlean59
  8. #1,000Bess58
  9. #1,000Buelah58
  10. #1,000Cherry58

Tied with 9 names at #990; 3 shown. Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.

Biggest movers since 1926
Risers
  1. ↑ 2,708Charmaine#3,564 → #856
  2. ↑ 1,519Kazuko#2,474 → #955
  3. ↑ 1,152Valencia#2,076 → #924
  4. ↑ 551Cherie#1,414 → #863
  5. ↑ 452Lita#1,148 → #696
Fallers
  1. ↓ 349Janell#748 → #1,097
  2. ↓ 330Sabina#931 → #1,261
  3. ↓ 319Clarine#942 → #1,261
  4. ↓ 298Shirlie#980 → #1,278
  5. ↓ 291Delilah#836 → #1,127

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

boys

1,126,915 boys got a published name in 1927; 1 in 134 of them was named Ralph, which outranked 99.5% of the 4,802 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 33.2% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Ralph
  1. #21David9,426
  2. #22Arthur9,338
  3. #23Albert9,128
  4. #24Ralph8,434
  5. #25Harry8,019
  6. #26Carl7,277
  7. #27Willie6,969
Biggest movers since 1926
Risers
  1. ↑ 1,863Lindbergh#2,436 → #573
  2. ↑ 966Lindy#1,353 → #387
  3. ↑ 601Sonny#1,565 → #964
  4. ↑ 467Akira#1,404 → #937
  5. ↑ 442Maria#1,432 → #990
Fallers
  1. ↓ 684Minoru#963 → #1,647
  2. ↓ 611Reno#825 → #1,436
  3. ↓ 406Hurley#916 → #1,322
  4. ↓ 356Adelbert#842 → #1,198
  5. ↓ 330Gardner#963 → #1,293

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

See the top 100 for 1927 →