Randolph
Randolph was the 5003rd most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 20 babies. Its best year was 1952, when it ranked 154th with 1,817 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 2,294 places. More babies were named Randolph in the 1950s than in any other decade.
Meaning "shield-wolf" · Old Norse, Germanic
Say it RAN-dahlf /ˈrændɑlf/
- Rank in 2025
- #5,003 boys, down 1,217 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 20boys
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 19521,817 babies
- Total since 1880
- 49,536babies recorded
What does the name Randolph mean?
Randolph is a Germanic name made of rand, "shield rim, shield", and wulf, "wolf"; Wiktionary gives the Old Norse forms rǫnd and úlfr. It came to England in medieval forms such as Randolf and Ranulf and survived as a surname. As a first name it was revived in the 19th century, and in the US it was most popular in the 1950s. Randy is its common short form.
rǫnd (Old Norse, “shield, shield rim”)úlfr (Old Norse, “wolf”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Related names: Randy, Randall, Ranulf, Randolf.
See also: Germanic names, names that mean protector, names that mean an animal.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Randolph', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Wikipedia, 'Randolph (given name)', Wikipedia (Wikimedia Foundation)
Nicknames for Randolph
The usual nicknames for Randolph are Randy and Dolph. Some parents skip the long form: for every 100 boys named Randolph in the last five years, 1103 were named Randy, against 1175 twenty years earlier.
| Nickname | Kind | Rank 2025 | Boys, 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Randy · also for Randall | Traditional | #1,089 | 1,158 |
| Dolph · also for Rudolph | Traditional | — | — |
Nicknames reviewed by our editors; counts are boys given the nickname as their legal first name. Nobody records how many Randolphs go by each one.
Randolph popularity since 1880
A few girls are given the name too: 112 since 1943.
| Year | Rank (boys) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #5,003 | 20 |
| 2020 | #3,786 | 28 |
| 2010 | #2,542 | 49 |
| 2000 | #1,234 | 109 |
| 1990 | #672 | 227 |
| 1980 | #480 | 308 |
| 1970 | #334 | 569 |
| 1960 | #244 | 1,081 |
| 1950 | #162 | 1,550 |
| 1940 | #287 | 382 |
| 1930 | #339 | 271 |
| 1920 | #340 | 293 |
| 1910 | #308 | 65 |
| 1900 | #295 | 50 |
| 1890 | #403 | 21 |
| 1880 | #398 | 19 |
How popular is Randolph, counting every spelling?
Randolph has no other common spelling that sounds the same.
How many kids will share the name Randolph?
20 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Randolph (0.01 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Randolph born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 423 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Randolph.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Randolph?
About 29,700 people born in the US named Randolph are alive today, with a median age of 65; half are between 52 and 73. That makes Randolph a name most people associate with older generations.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Randolph: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Randolph, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Randolph · Sibling names for Randolph
Questions about the name Randolph
What does Randolph mean?
Randolph means “"shield-wolf"” (Old Norse, Germanic origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Randolph?
Randolph was the 5003rd most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 20 babies. Its best year was 1952, when it ranked 154th with 1,817 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 2,294 places. More babies were named Randolph in the 1950s than in any other decade.
Is Randolph a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name Randolph in the US.