Ralph
Meaning and origin
Wiktionary describes it as a male given name from the Germanic languages. From Middle English Radulf, from Old English Rǣdwulf (also as Raulf), from Proto-West Germanic *Rādawulf, from Proto-Germanic *Rēdawulfaz. Reinforced by similar forms brought to England, e.g. Old Norse Ráðúlfr, then in the Norman form Old French Radulf, Radulph. For the sense relating to vomiting, see ralph.
Source: Wiktionary, English entry for Ralph (CC BY-SA 4.0). This is the origin of the name in English; families in Sweden may have taken it from another language.
Popularity in Sweden
Among newborns, Ralph has been fairly steady over the last few years. Its best year between 1998 and 2022 was 2020. The figures are for this exact spelling; other spellings of the name are counted on their own.
Years with fewer than two babies (fewer than ten before 2004) show as zero in the chart and as – in the table.
Show the figures
| Year | Boys |
|---|---|
| 1998 | – |
| 1999 | – |
| 2000 | – |
| 2001 | – |
| 2002 | – |
| 2003 | – |
| 2004 | 2 |
| 2005 | 2 |
| 2006 | 2 |
| 2007 | 2 |
| 2008 | 3 |
| 2009 | 6 |
| 2010 | 7 |
| 2011 | 9 |
| 2012 | 12 |
| 2013 | 15 |
| 2014 | 18 |
| 2015 | 22 |
| 2016 | 33 |
| 2017 | 34 |
| 2018 | 33 |
| 2019 | 35 |
| 2020 | 37 |
| 2021 | 36 |
| 2022 | 34 |
Everyone registered in Sweden on 31 December with this as the first name they use.
Show the figures
| Year | Men and boys |
|---|---|
| 1999 | 914 |
| 2000 | 898 |
| 2001 | 895 |
| 2002 | 883 |
| 2003 | 882 |
| 2004 | 875 |
| 2005 | 871 |
| 2006 | 866 |
| 2007 | 864 |
| 2008 | 862 |
| 2009 | 864 |
| 2010 | 861 |
| 2011 | 862 |
| 2012 | 873 |
| 2013 | 891 |
| 2014 | 897 |
| 2015 | 909 |
| 2016 | 940 |
| 2017 | 967 |
| 2018 | 985 |
| 2019 | 1,007 |
| 2020 | 1,026 |
Ralph in a sentence
- Hej! Jag heter Ralph.Hi! My name is Ralph.
- Har du träffat Ralph? Han började jobba här i måndags.Have you met Ralph? He started working here on Monday.
- Jag ska fika med Ralph i eftermiddag.I'm having coffee with Ralph this afternoon.
- Ralphs mamma är lärare.Ralph's mum is a teacher.
Swedish shows possession with a plain -s and no apostrophe: Ralphs mamma is Ralph's mum.
More names
Questions about Ralph
How do you pronounce Ralph in Swedish?
Press Listen at the top of the page to hear Ralph in your device's Swedish voice.
What does the name Ralph mean?
Wiktionary describes it as a male given name from the Germanic languages. From Middle English Radulf, from Old English Rǣdwulf (also as Raulf), from Proto-West Germanic *Rādawulf, from Proto-Germanic *Rēdawulfaz. Reinforced by similar forms brought to England, e.g. Old Norse Ráðúlfr, then in the Norman form Old French Radulf, Radulph. For the sense relating to vomiting, see ralph.
How popular is Ralph in Sweden?
34 babies were named Ralph in 2022. In 2020, 1,026 people in Sweden had Ralph as the first name they go by. Among newborns the name has been fairly steady lately and peaked in 2020 in the years SCB covers (1998–2022).
Popularity figures: Statistics Sweden (SCB), name statistics (BE0001) from the Statistical Database, released as open data under CC0. Each spelling is counted as its own name, as SCB does. SCB's open name statistics end with babies named in 2022 and the population on 31 December 2020; SCB stopped producing name statistics in 2024 and now points to the Swedish Tax Agency (Skatteverket) for newer figures.
Origins, IPA and recordings: Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0), via kaikki.org; recordings from Lingua Libre on Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA). Lingolib is not affiliated with SCB or Wiktionary. Sources last checked 7 October 2026.