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.

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