Rodolfo
Rodolfo was the 1474th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 121 babies. Its best year was 1981, when it ranked 311th with 610 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 543 places. More babies were named Rodolfo in the 1990s than in any other decade.
Meaning "famous wolf" · Spanish, Italian, Germanic
Say it roh-DOHL-foh /roʊˈdoʊlfoʊ/
- Rank in 2025
- #1,474 boys, down 187 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 121boys
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 1981610 babies
- Total since 1880
- 33,856babies recorded
What does the name Rodolfo mean?
Rodolfo is the Spanish, Italian and Portuguese form of Rudolph, a Germanic name made of hrōþ, "fame, glory", and wulf, "wolf". DMNES lists medieval kings and Habsburg rulers named Rudolf. The silent-film star Rudolph Valentino was born Rodolfo Guglielmi in Italy. In the US Rodolfo was most common in the 1980s and 1990s.
*Hrōþiwulfaz (Proto-Germanic, “fame + wolf”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Related names: Rudolph, Rudolf, Rudy, Rodolphe, Fito.
See also: Germanic names, names that mean fame, names that mean an animal.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Rodolfo', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, ed. S. L. Uckelman, Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Rudolf', DMNES (Durham University)
- Wikipedia, 'Rodolfo', Wikipedia (Wikimedia Foundation)
Nicknames for Rodolfo
The usual nicknames for Rodolfo are Fito and Rudy. Some parents skip the long form: for every 100 boys named Rodolfo in the last five years, 235 were named Rudy, against 83 twenty years earlier.
| Nickname | Kind | Rank 2025 | Boys, 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fito | Traditional | — | — |
| Rudy · also for Rudolph | Traditional | #739 | 1,537 |
Nicknames reviewed by our editors; counts are boys given the nickname as their legal first name. Nobody records how many Rodolfos go by each one.
Rodolfo popularity since 1880
A few girls are given the name too: 83 since 1972.
| Year | Rank (boys) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #1,474 | 121 |
| 2020 | #1,287 | 142 |
| 2010 | #751 | 301 |
| 2000 | #421 | 587 |
| 1990 | #401 | 575 |
| 1980 | #333 | 563 |
| 1970 | #412 | 393 |
| 1960 | #453 | 318 |
| 1950 | #414 | 265 |
| 1940 | #531 | 122 |
| 1930 | #411 | 203 |
| 1920 | #782 | 73 |
| 1910 | #1,032 | 11 |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Rodolfo, counting every spelling?
Rodolfo has no other common spelling that sounds the same. Counting every name's spellings together, it ranks #1,389 for boys in 2025, against #1,474 on the official list.
How many kids will share the name Rodolfo?
121 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Rodolfo (0.03 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Rodolfo 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 69 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Rodolfo.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Rodolfo?
About 26,900 people born in the US named Rodolfo are alive today, with a median age of 38; half are between 25 and 53. That makes Rodolfo mostly worn by adults in their thirties to fifties.
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.
Rodolfo by state
How common Rodolfo was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Texas (3.5×), Arizona (3.2×), California (2.2×). In 43 states fewer than five boys a year got the name, too few for SSA to publish, so those states show as zero.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Rodolfo: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Rodolfo, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Rodolfo · Sibling names for Rodolfo
Questions about the name Rodolfo
What does Rodolfo mean?
Rodolfo means “"famous wolf"” (Spanish, Italian, Germanic origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Rodolfo?
Rodolfo was the 1474th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 121 babies. Its best year was 1981, when it ranked 311th with 610 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 543 places. More babies were named Rodolfo in the 1990s than in any other decade.
Is Rodolfo a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name Rodolfo in the US.
Where is Rodolfo most popular?
In 2021–2025, Rodolfo was most common in Texas (0.27 per 1,000 boys), followed by Arizona and California.