Rudolph
Feminine · “famous wolf”
Rudolph is given to boys far more often — 53,441 boys against 197 girls since 1880. See Rudolph as a boy name
Rudolph entered the US charts in 1914, peaked at #2094 in 1928, is rarely given in 2025 — given to only a few children a year.
How old is the name Rudolph?
Rudolph first appears in US birth records in 1914 — 111 years ago. The typical Rudolph alive today was born around 1929, making them about 96 years old. Fewer than a hundred people named Rudolph are estimated to be alive in the US today — a true one-of-a-kind name.
When was the name Rudolph most popular?
Rudolph peaked in 1928, reaching #2094 nationally. See the whole 1928 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
From Hrodulf to Rudolph
The story of Rudolph
The name belongs to central Europe. Rudolf of Habsburg was elected king of Germany in the thirteenth century and founded the dynasty that ran much of Europe for six hundred years, which kept the name at the top of the Austrian and German courts. It spread into English through German immigration rather than through the Normans. Then an American department store commissioned a Christmas story about a reindeer, and the name's center of gravity moved permanently.
Meaning
famous wolf
From the Germanic elements hrod, 'fame', and wulf, 'wolf'. Animal elements were ordinary in early Germanic naming; the wolf was a compliment rather than a warning.
How the name formed
- Hrodulf
- Rudolf
- Rudolph
Related forms: Rudolf · Rodolfo · Rodolfo · Rudolf
Pronouncing Rudolph
ROO-dolf
Two syllables, stress on the first. The ph is simply an f; the Rudolf spelling is said identically.
Nicknames for Rudolph
Moderate
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1914
- Most girls named
- 192817 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #2094reached in 1928
- Change vs 1973
- +20.0%6 in 1974, from 5
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Rudolph in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Rudolf in German — same name
- Rodolfo in Italian — same name
- Rodolfo in Spanish — same name
- Rudolf in Czech — same name
Rudolphs among us
Fewer than a hundred people named Rudolph are estimated to be alive in the US today — a true one-of-a-kind name.
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
Questions parents actually ask
Fashion outlook
Rudolph sits outside the current charts, and that is its own kind of answer: naming cycles can only date the names they carried up. A name this rare has no decade stamped on it — it cannot go out of fashion, because it was never in.
Based on 146 years of naming cycles. How we read them
Nobody names a baby alone.
Put Rudolph to the vote.
Add it to a family vote or a couple’s swipe deck — the other person gets one card, a simple answer and room to say why. No app, no account for them.
Only the people you invite can see your list.
Already decided on Rudolph? Hide it among decoys and let them guess.
What they receive
Someone added a name to your list
Rudolph
Feminine
Frequently asked
- How many Rudolphs are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. Fewer than a hundred people named Rudolph are estimated to be alive in the US today — a true one-of-a-kind name.
- How popular is the name Rudolph in 2025?
- Rudolph is rarely given in the US today — it does not rank in the top 2000 girl names.
- Will my child share the name Rudolph with classmates?
- Rudolph will almost certainly be the only one in school.
More R names
The most-given names starting with R, all years combined.
Ruth#173 · Rebecca#349 · Rachel#250 · Rose#114 · Ruby#64 · Robin#704 · Rita#1285 · Rhonda#6116
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Rudolph? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Rudolph and another name?
See them side by side — full stats, history and a gentle verdict.
Compare side by sideIn a hurry? Just pick a winner — one tap, no sign-up, and you see how everyone else voted.
Weighing a whole shortlist? Add the rest in the builder, or settle it with a bracket.
Cast your vote
Which one would you pick?
Your gut first, the numbers after — the split shows once you pick.
US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
No advertising trackers and no data sellinghow we handle your dataindependent and founder-run, about Name Battle