Roudolph
Old German name meaning "famous wolf", symbolic of honor and leadership.
Name Census estimates that about 0 living Americans carry the first name Roudolph. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Roudolph today is around 0 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Roudolph births was 1917 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Roudolph. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Roudolph. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
0
~ - Americans
Peak year
1917
5 babies that year
Average age
-
1925 SSA rank
#4,769
Tracked since 1917
Popularity
Roudolph: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Roudolph from the 1910s through to the 1920s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 5 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Roudolph by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Roudolph during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Roudolph
The name Roudolph is a Germanic name with roots dating back to the 5th century AD. It is derived from the Old German words "rod" meaning "fame" and "wulf" meaning "wolf." The combination of these two words suggests a meaning of "famous wolf" or "wolf of renown."
In its earliest recorded use, the name appeared as Rodulf or Rodolf in various ancient Germanic texts and historical records. It gained popularity across Central and Western Europe, particularly in regions with strong Germanic cultural influences, such as modern-day Germany, Austria, and parts of France.
One of the earliest known historical figures to bear the name was Rodulf, a Frankish nobleman and military commander who lived in the late 6th century. He served under the Merovingian king Childebert II and played a crucial role in various military campaigns against rival kingdoms.
Another notable bearer of the name was Rodulf of Fulda, a Benedictine monk and scholar who lived in the 9th century. He was a renowned writer and theologian, known for his contributions to the intellectual and cultural life of the Carolingian Renaissance.
In the 12th century, Rodolphe of Zähringen, a Count of Burgundy, was a prominent figure in the Holy Roman Empire. He played a significant role in the political and military affairs of the empire during the reigns of several Holy Roman Emperors.
During the Renaissance period, Rudolph II, who reigned as Holy Roman Emperor from 1576 to 1612, was a notable patron of the arts and sciences. His court in Prague attracted many renowned artists, scholars, and intellectuals of the time, including the famous astronomers Tycho Brahe and Johannes Kepler.
In more recent history, Rudolph Valentino, an Italian-born actor who lived from 1895 to 1926, became a cultural icon and a symbol of masculine beauty in the early 20th century. His portrayal of romantic leading roles in silent films earned him international fame and contributed to the popularization of the name Rudolph.
While the name Roudolph is not as common today as some of its variants like Rudolph or Ralph, it remains a unique and historically significant name with a rich cultural heritage rooted in Germanic traditions.
People
Roudolph + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Roudolph as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with R
Other first names starting with R with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Roudolph: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Roudolph?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 0 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Roudolph going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about - US residents.
Is Roudolph a common name?
We classify Roudolph as "Very Rare". It ranks above 2.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 10 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Roudolph most popular?
The single biggest year for Roudolph was 1917, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Roudolph is about 0 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Roudolph in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Roudolph a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Roudolph in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Roudolph still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Roudolph in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Roudolph can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How common is the name Roudolph?
For a quick modern take, check how many Americans are named Roudolph on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.