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Show ContentsRalph History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
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Family Crest Download (JPG) Heritage Series - 600 DPI

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The surname Ralph is derived from the personal name Rodolf which is in turn, developed from the Germanic personal name Hrodulf, which consists of the two elements "hrod" and "ulf". The initial element "hrod" derives from the Gothic "hrotheigs" meaning "victorious" or the Old High German "hrod" meaning "fame, price, reward". The second element "ulf" derives from the Old High German "wolf" meaning "wolf".

The personal name Hrodulf and its modern form of Ralph, is actually the Low German form of Rudolf and was popular since the Middle Ages, due to spread of admiration to the Emperor Rudolf von Habsburg in the thirteenth century.

Early Origins of the Ralph family

The surname Ralph was first found in Hamburg where the Rolf and Rahlf variants were typically found. The Rohlf(s) variant was typically found in the Lower Germany. 1

All variants ultimately trace their name origin to the Christian name Rudolph, and its pet-form Rolf, which are of Old Germanic origin and can be translated literally as 'Famous Wolf'. Saint Rodulf (died 866), was the Archbishop of Bourges from 840 until his death and Rudolph of France (c. 890-936), was the King of France from 923 until his death in 936. In Latin documents, his name is typically seen as Rodulfus. Rudolf I (1218-1291) was the first King of Germany from the House of Habsburg and reigned from 1273 until his death in 1291. Upon his father's death, he inherited large estates around the ancestral seat of Habsburg Castle in the Aargau region of present-day Switzerland as well as in Alsace.

Early History of the Ralph family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Ralph research. Another 42 words (3 lines of text) covering the years 1025, 1057, 1079, 1080, 1232, 1270, 1282, 1283, 1290, 1333, 1390, 1406 and 1667 are included under the topic Early Ralph History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ralph Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Rolf, Rolfs, Rolfness, Rolfsen, Roleff, Roloff, Rohlf, Rohlfs, Rahlf and many more.

Early Notables of the Ralph family

Notables bearing the name Ralph of this period include Count Rudolph (or Rudolf) of Ponthieu (died 866), the son of Welf (also Hwelf or Welf I) by Hedwig of Bavaria. Rudolph II (c. 880- 937), was a member of the Elder House of Welf and was King of Burgundy from 912 until his death. Rudolf of Rheinfelden...
Another 56 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Ralph Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ralph World Ranking

In the United States, the name Ralph is the 3,217th most popular surname with an estimated 9,948 people with that name. 2 However, in Newfoundland, Canada, the name Ralph is ranked the 153rd most popular surname with an estimated 252 people with that name. 3 And in Australia, the name Ralph is the 732nd popular surname with an estimated 5,305 people with that name. 4

United States Ralph migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Ralph Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Sam Ralph, who arrived in Virginia in 1653 5
  • Margaret Ralph, who landed in Maryland in 1671 5
Ralph Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Joseph Ralph, who arrived in Virginia in 1701 5
  • Thomas Ralph, who arrived in America in 1760-1763 5
  • Francis Ralph, who arrived in New Jersey in 1769 5
  • Joseph Ralph, who settled in Boston Massachusetts in 1774
Ralph Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • William Ralph, aged 13, who landed in New York in 1819 5
  • Steven Ralph, aged 8, who landed in New York in 1819 5
  • Phillip H Ralph, aged 4, who landed in New York, NY in 1819 5
  • Geo. Ralph, who settled in New York State in 1823
  • Edward Ralph, who landed in New York in 1832 5
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Canada Ralph migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Ralph Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
  • John Ralph, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1749
Ralph Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
  • Mr. James Ralph, aged 35 who was emigrating through Grosse Isle Quarantine Station, Quebec aboard the ship "Larch" departing 11th July 1847 from Sligo, Ireland; the ship arrived on 20th August 1847 but he died on board 6
  • Mrs. Margaret Ralph, aged 40 who was emigrating through Grosse Isle Quarantine Station, Quebec aboard the ship "Larch" departing 11th July 1847 from Sligo, Ireland; the ship arrived on 20th August 1847 but she died on board 6
  • Ms. Margaret Ralph, aged 38 who was emigrating through Grosse Isle Quarantine Station, Quebec aboard the ship "Larch" departing 11th July 1847 from Sligo, Ireland; the ship arrived on 20th August 1847 but she died on board 6

Australia Ralph migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Ralph Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • William Ralph, a cabinet-maker, who arrived in Van Diemen’s Land (now Tasmania) sometime between 1825 and 1832
  • Mrs. Ann Ralph, (b. 1774), aged 52, Irish laundress who was convicted in Dublin, Ireland for 7 years for stealing, transported aboard the "Brothers" on 3rd October 1826, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, listed as having 3 children 7
  • Mr. James Ralph (b. 1813), aged 20, Cornish settler convicted in Cornwall, UK on 22nd March 1833, sentenced for life for breaking into the house of William Pentecost and stealing silver watches, transported aboard the ship "Neva" on 27th July 1833 to New South Wales, Australia 8
  • Mr. Samuel Ralph Manley, British convict who was convicted in Chester, England for 14 years, transported aboard the "Henry Tanner" on 27th June 1834, settling in New South Wales, Australia 9
  • Mr. Alexander Ralph, (b. 1814), aged 28, English shoe maker who was convicted in London, Ontario, England for 14 years for striking a superior officer, transported aboard the "Candahar" on 26th March 1842, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land), he died in 1847 10
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

New Zealand Ralph migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Ralph Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • Mr. W.B. (H.B.) Ralph (Replh), British settler travelling from England aboard the ship "Martha Ridgway" arriving in Wellington, New Zealand on 14th November 1840 11
  • Mr. George Ralph, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Sandford" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 9th July 1856 12
  • Mrs. Sarah Ann Ralph, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Sandford" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 9th July 1856 12
  • Edward Ralph, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Annie Wilson" in 1863
  • Lydia Ralph, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "City of Auckland" in 1870
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

West Indies Ralph migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 13
Ralph Settlers in West Indies in the 18th Century
  • Thomas Ralph, who settled in Jamaica in 1761

Contemporary Notables of the name Ralph (post 1700) +

  • Sheryl Lee Ralph OJ (b. 1956), American Tony award and Primetime Emmy Award winning actress and singer, best known for her roles in Moesha (1996), Its A Living (1980), and Instant Mom (2013)
  • James Ralph (1705-1762), American miscellaneous writer, probably born in Pennsylvania was a merchant's clerk in Philadelphia when he became a close friend with Benjamin Franklin, then a journeyman printer
  • Jessie Ralph (1864-1944), American actress
  • Brian Ralph (b. 1973), American cartoonist
  • Stillman Ralph, American politician, Member of Michigan State House of Representatives, 1837, 1855-56 14
  • S. H. Ralph, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from Louisiana, 1900, 1908 14
  • Ruth Ralph, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from New Hampshire, 1924, 1928, 1932, 1936 14
  • Richard F. Ralph, American politician, Member of Missouri State Senate 25th District, 1921-32 14
  • Nathan Ralph, American politician, Candidate for Presidential Elector for Arizona, 2012 14
  • Leon Douglas Ralph (1932-2007), American Democratic Party politician, Member of California State Assembly, 1967-76; Defeated, 1988; Delegate to Democratic National Convention from California, 1972 14
  • ... (Another 13 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
RMS Lusitania
  • Mr. M. Ralph, English Fireman from England, who worked aboard the RMS Lusitania (1915) and survived the sinking 15
  1. Bahlow, Hans, Dictionary of German Names. translated by Edda Gentry, Wisconsin: The Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System, 2002. Print. (ISBN 0-924119-35-7)
  2. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  3. The order of Common Surnames in 1955 in Newfoundland retrieved on 20th October 2021 (retrieved from Family Names of the Island of Newfoundland by E.R. Seary corrected edition ISBN 0-7735-1782-0)
  4. "Most Common Last Names in Australia." Forebears, https://forebears.io/australia/surnames
  5. Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
  6. Charbonneau, André, and Doris Drolet-Dubé. A Register of Deceased Persons at Sea and on Grosse Île in 1847. The Minister of Canadian Heritage, 1997. ISBN: 0-660-198/1-1997E (p. 93)
  7. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 3rd November 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/brothers
  8. Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 30th May 2018). Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_australia_convicts.pdf
  9. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 7th January 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/henry-tanner
  10. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 9th December 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/candahar
  11. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  12. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  13. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
  14. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, December 10) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
  15. Lusitania Passenger List - The Lusitania Resource. (Retrieved 2014, March 7) . Retrieved from http://www.rmslusitania.info/lusitania-passenger-list/
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