Rudolphe
Derived from Germanic elements meaning "famous wolf", an Old Germanic name.
Name Census estimates that about 1 living Americans carry the first name Rudolphe. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Rudolphe today is around 93 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Rudolphe births was 1922 (7 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Rudolphe. 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
- • The typical person named Rudolphe is about 93 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Rudolphes were born before 1943.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Rudolphe. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
1
~ 1 in 342,754,338 Americans
Peak year
1922
7 babies that year
Average age
93
years old
1931 SSA rank
#4,236
Tracked since 1912
Popularity
Rudolphe: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Rudolphe from the 1910s through to the 1930s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 13 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1920s peak, Rudolphe remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Rudolphe 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 Rudolphe 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 Rudolphe
The name Rudolphe is derived from the Germanic name Rudolf, which is composed of the elements "hrod" meaning "fame" and "wolf" meaning "wolf." This name has its origins in the 5th century and was initially popular among the Frankish people of what is now modern-day France and Germany.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the 6th century, when a Merovingian king named Rodulf (or Radulf) ruled over a region of modern-day France. However, the name gained widespread popularity in the Middle Ages, particularly after the 10th century.
In the 11th century, a notable figure named Rudolphe de Bourgogne, also known as Rudolf of Rheinfelden (1025-1080), was elected as the King of Germany and later became the Duke of Swabia. He played a significant role in the Great Saxon Revolt against the Holy Roman Emperor Henry IV.
Another prominent individual with this name was Rudolphe I of Habsburg (1218-1291), who was elected as the King of Germany in 1273 and later became the Holy Roman Emperor. He is credited with establishing the House of Habsburg as one of the most powerful dynasties in European history.
In the 16th century, Rudolphe II (1552-1612), a member of the House of Habsburg, was the Holy Roman Emperor from 1576 until his death. He was known for his patronage of the arts and his interest in occult sciences, alchemy, and astrology.
During the 18th century, a notable figure named Rudolphe Agricola (1443-1485) was a Dutch humanist, philosopher, and pioneer of the Northern Renaissance. He is remembered for his contributions to the study of classical literature and his influence on the development of humanism.
In more recent times, the name Rudolphe has been associated with various literary and artistic figures, such as the French author Rudolphe Töpffer (1799-1846), who is considered a pioneer of the modern comic strip.
People
Rudolphe + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Rudolphe 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
Rudolphe: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Rudolphe?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Rudolphe 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 1 in 342,754,338 US residents.
Is Rudolphe a common name?
We classify Rudolphe as "Very Rare". It ranks above 3.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 23 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Rudolphe most popular?
The single biggest year for Rudolphe was 1922, when 7 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Rudolphe is about 93 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 Rudolphe in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Rudolphe a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Rudolphe 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 Rudolphe still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Rudolphe 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 Rudolphe 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 many people are named Rudolphe?
See how many people share the name Rudolphe on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.