Meaning not yet researched.
Ralph: US boys given the name each year, 1880 to 2025, from Social Security card applications. 211 in 2025. Its best rank was #21 in 1917.
US births per year · SSA card applications
Peaked at #21 in 1917; #1,048 in 2025. Every baby recorded as Ralph in 2025 was a boy.
Baby name · US data 1880–2025
#1,048 for US boys in 2025. Its best year was 1917, at #21.
Hover, tap or use the arrow keys for any year. Years with fewer than five babies of a sex are not published by SSA and show as zero.
Ralph: US boys given the name each year from 1880 to 2025. 211 boys in 2025. Peak: #21 in 1917 · most boys in one year: 8,860 (1921).
In 2025, 211 US boys were named Ralph, making it the 1,048th most common boys’ name of the year, up 100 places from #1,148 in 2024. That is 28 more than the 183 boys named Ralph in 2024. Its best rank for boys was #21, reached in 1917. The most boys given the name in a single year was 8,860, in 1921. For comparison, it was #1,067 in 2015 and #52 in 1950.
Social Security card records list Ralph in every one of the 146 years from 1880 to 2025; in 1880 there were 317 babies with the name. In all, 415,858 US babies have been given the name, 0.4% of them girls and 99.5% boys. Its busiest decade was the 1920s, with 84,952 babies named Ralph.
Over the 10 years from 2016 to 2025, 1,925 US boys were named Ralph; the busiest of those years was 2018, with 219. In 2025 that was about 1 in 8,095 of the boys in SSA’s list for the year.
Among the states, Ralph ranked highest in Wisconsin in 2025, at #668 for boys there. It was not in the top 100 of any state. Related spellings in the SSA files include Raul (88,524 babies since 1880). Rarer spellings such as Raoul, Ralf and Ralphe are summarised on this page.
Meaning not yet researched.
We publish a meaning only with a cited source and a confidence label, and never generate one. Meanings are being researched for the most common names first.
Rare spellings summarised here: Raoul (2,915), Ralf (304), Ralphe (5).
Numbers are all-time US births. Links come from Wikidata’s “said to be the same as” (P460, CC0) and our spelling rule: at most two letters different, with the same sound pattern.
No nicknames listed for Ralph in the open dataset we use.
Ralph is listed as a nickname for Raphael.
Source: carltonnorthern/nicknames (Apache-2.0).
US boys. Rank within each state. SSA leaves out states where fewer than five boys got the name, so 37 are not listed.
| State | Births 2025 | Rank 2025 | Rank 2015 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wisconsin | 7 | #668 | — |
| New York | 22 | #681 | #1,049 |
| Utah | 6 | #683 | — |
| Pennsylvania | 13 | #699 | #917 |
| North Carolina | 13 | #710 | — |
| Minnesota | 6 | #785 | — |
| Florida | 17 | #875 | #862 |
| New Jersey | 7 | #890 | #1,072 |
| Missouri | 5 | #966 | #928 |
| Georgia | 9 | #969 | — |
| Arizona | 5 | #1,009 | #862 |
| Tennessee | 6 | #1,015 | — |
| Texas | 16 | #1,285 | #1,515 |
| California | 13 | #1,414 | #1,007 |
Births and national rank for each year SSA lists the name, newest first.
| Year | Girls | Girls rank | Boys | Boys rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | — | — | 211 | #1,048 |
| 2024 | — | — | 183 | #1,148 |
| 2023 | — | — | 169 | #1,196 |
| 2022 | — | — | 184 | #1,141 |
| 2021 | — | — | 186 | #1,111 |
| 2020 | — | — | 180 | #1,102 |
| 2019 | — | — | 203 | #1,026 |
| 2018 | — | — | 219 | #950 |
| 2017 | — | — | 185 | #1,070 |
| 2016 | — | — | 205 | #996 |
| 2015 | — | — | 186 | #1,067 |
| 2014 | — | — | 193 | #1,042 |
| 2013 | — | — | 194 | #1,010 |
| 2012 | — | — | 180 | #1,059 |
| 2011 | — | — | 208 | #956 |
| 2010 | — | — | 205 | #967 |
| 2009 | — | — | 211 | #956 |
| 2008 | — | — | 248 | #860 |
| 2007 | — | — | 239 | #869 |
| 2006 | — | — | 278 | #761 |
| 2005 | — | — | 258 | #771 |
| 2004 | — | — | 270 | #712 |
| 2003 | — | — | 300 | #661 |
| 2002 | — | — | 314 | #630 |
| 2001 | — | — | 319 | #610 |
| 2000 | — | — | 342 | #584 |
| 1999 | — | — | 343 | #572 |
| 1998 | — | — | 333 | #584 |
| 1997 | — | — | 364 | #544 |
| 1996 | — | — | 415 | #503 |
| 1995 | — | — | 413 | #502 |
| 1994 | — | — | 422 | #490 |
| 1993 | — | — | 520 | #429 |
| 1992 | — | — | 499 | #441 |
| 1991 | — | — | 562 | #406 |
| 1990 | 5 | #14,641 | 603 | #385 |
| 1989 | — | — | 662 | #347 |
| 1988 | 6 | #11,379 | 628 | #339 |
| 1987 | 6 | #10,892 | 724 | #298 |
| 1986 | 6 | #10,516 | 728 | #286 |
| 1985 | 5 | #11,976 | 753 | #277 |
| 1984 | 10 | #6,645 | 771 | #270 |
| 1983 | 5 | #11,538 | 846 | #249 |
| 1982 | — | — | 949 | #243 |
| 1981 | 6 | #10,034 | 898 | #247 |
| 1980 | 8 | #7,932 | 1,039 | #229 |
| 1979 | 10 | #6,562 | 1,080 | #216 |
| 1978 | 12 | #5,456 | 1,079 | #205 |
| 1977 | 13 | #5,135 | 1,253 | #187 |
| 1976 | 8 | #7,097 | 1,161 | #193 |
| 1975 | 14 | #4,532 | 1,343 | #173 |
| 1974 | 7 | #7,462 | 1,371 | #174 |
| 1973 | 18 | #3,594 | 1,558 | #157 |
| 1972 | 15 | #4,036 | 1,671 | #159 |
| 1971 | 10 | #5,420 | 1,991 | #149 |
| 1970 | 21 | #3,179 | 2,248 | #147 |
| 1969 | 17 | #3,421 | 2,416 | #126 |
| 1968 | 21 | #2,848 | 2,325 | #127 |
| 1967 | 22 | #2,687 | 2,553 | #117 |
| 1966 | 24 | #2,505 | 2,783 | #112 |
| 1965 | 12 | #3,899 | 3,225 | #103 |
| 1964 | 15 | #3,477 | 3,564 | #103 |
| 1963 | 16 | #3,294 | 3,931 | #99 |
| 1962 | 17 | #3,132 | 4,180 | #97 |
| 1961 | 23 | #2,593 | 4,443 | #95 |
| 1960 | 17 | #3,075 | 4,770 | #89 |
| 1959 | 19 | #2,733 | 5,048 | #84 |
| 1958 | 22 | #2,496 | 5,453 | #78 |
| 1957 | 23 | #2,402 | 5,709 | #76 |
| 1956 | 23 | #2,370 | 6,041 | #67 |
| 1955 | 16 | #2,934 | 5,965 | #67 |
| 1954 | 17 | #2,766 | 6,311 | #61 |
| 1953 | 17 | #2,676 | 6,513 | #59 |
| 1952 | 17 | #2,651 | 6,469 | #56 |
| 1951 | 16 | #2,671 | 6,525 | #51 |
| 1950 | 15 | #2,749 | 6,406 | #52 |
| 1949 | 14 | #2,820 | 6,748 | #50 |
| 1948 | 20 | #2,241 | 6,915 | #51 |
| 1947 | 20 | #2,271 | 7,389 | #50 |
| 1946 | 22 | #2,011 | 6,587 | #48 |
| 1945 | 18 | #2,042 | 5,785 | #44 |
| 1944 | 16 | #2,268 | 6,273 | #42 |
| 1943 | 11 | #2,993 | 6,771 | #40 |
| 1942 | 17 | #2,185 | 6,637 | #38 |
| 1941 | 15 | #2,251 | 6,040 | #38 |
| 1940 | 27 | #1,508 | 5,838 | #37 |
| 1939 | 21 | #1,721 | 5,959 | #35 |
| 1938 | 19 | #1,861 | 6,013 | #35 |
| 1937 | 19 | #1,836 | 5,923 | #34 |
| 1936 | 28 | #1,406 | 6,029 | #31 |
| 1935 | 32 | #1,298 | 6,090 | #32 |
| 1934 | 34 | #1,232 | 6,282 | #31 |
| 1933 | 36 | #1,192 | 6,185 | #29 |
| 1932 | 32 | #1,312 | 6,727 | #27 |
| 1931 | 45 | #1,054 | 6,960 | #25 |
| 1930 | 45 | #1,114 | 7,634 | #25 |
| 1929 | 58 | #949 | 7,715 | #26 |
| 1928 | 56 | #1,006 | 8,100 | #24 |
| 1927 | 59 | #997 | 8,434 | #24 |
| 1926 | 44 | #1,164 | 8,455 | #24 |
| 1925 | 43 | #1,189 | 8,467 | #25 |
| 1924 | 44 | #1,203 | 8,766 | #23 |
| 1923 | 42 | #1,209 | 8,629 | #23 |
| 1922 | 56 | #1,006 | 8,484 | #23 |
| 1921 | 42 | #1,198 | 8,860 | #23 |
| 1920 | 42 | #1,185 | 8,556 | #22 |
| 1919 | 45 | #1,098 | 7,709 | #22 |
| 1918 | 30 | #1,441 | 8,162 | #22 |
| 1917 | 30 | #1,365 | 7,391 | #21 |
| 1916 | 32 | #1,294 | 7,085 | #21 |
| 1915 | 24 | #1,512 | 6,816 | #21 |
| 1914 | 13 | #1,994 | 5,009 | #21 |
| 1913 | 25 | #1,114 | 3,963 | #22 |
| 1912 | 14 | #1,526 | 3,435 | #23 |
| 1911 | 7 | #2,152 | 1,674 | #24 |
| 1910 | 7 | #2,100 | 1,278 | #28 |
| 1909 | 5 | #2,481 | 1,091 | #30 |
| 1908 | 6 | #2,056 | 1,138 | #25 |
| 1907 | — | — | 997 | #29 |
| 1906 | 5 | #2,167 | 984 | #26 |
| 1905 | — | — | 938 | #27 |
| 1904 | — | — | 899 | #28 |
| 1903 | 5 | #2,023 | 807 | #29 |
| 1902 | 7 | #1,567 | 866 | #28 |
| 1901 | 5 | #1,894 | 682 | #29 |
| 1900 | — | — | 896 | #31 |
| 1899 | 5 | #1,792 | 742 | #29 |
| 1898 | — | — | 803 | #31 |
| 1897 | 5 | #1,748 | 697 | #32 |
| 1896 | — | — | 746 | #30 |
| 1895 | 5 | #1,770 | 736 | #30 |
| 1894 | 5 | #1,664 | 692 | #31 |
| 1893 | — | — | 636 | #31 |
| 1892 | — | — | 725 | #30 |
| 1891 | 8 | #1,078 | 587 | #28 |
| 1890 | 5 | #1,496 | 587 | #32 |
| 1889 | 5 | #1,448 | 495 | #39 |
| 1888 | 6 | #1,253 | 547 | #36 |
| 1887 | — | — | 463 | #38 |
| 1886 | — | — | 440 | #41 |
| 1885 | — | — | 422 | #44 |
| 1884 | 5 | #1,140 | 464 | #41 |
| 1883 | — | — | 385 | #45 |
| 1882 | — | — | 407 | #43 |
| 1881 | — | — | 329 | #45 |
| 1880 | — | — | 317 | #54 |
About the data: counts are Social Security card applications for US births, for names given to at least five babies of a sex in a year (SSA, names.zip, public domain). Ranks follow SSA’s own order: most births first, ties alphabetical. Files retrieved 2026-10-05 (checksum on our sources page).