Ralph History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms 

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The name Ralph is derived from the Old Norse given name Randolph, which itself comes from the Old German words, "rad," meaning "counsel," and "wolf," meaning "wolf."

Early Origins of the Ralph family

The surname Ralph was first found in Herefordshire where Ralph the Timid, the Earl of Hereford (died 1057) held lands and estates. Apparently, "he was in command there in July 1049, when a force of pirates from Ireland and Welsh under Gruffydd ab Rhydderch invaded the shire. He fled before them, leaving Worcester to be burnt by the invaders, and gaining for himself the appellation of 'the timid earl.' 1

Gaulder or Wader Ralph, the Earl of Norfolk (fl. 1070) was son of Ralph the Staller (d. 1066). "This Ralph is frequently referred to in Domesday Book as having held various estates, and is twice mentioned as 'Radulfus comes vetus', and on one other occasion as 'Radulfus Stalra' and father of Ralph Guader. It is evident, therefore, that Ralph the Staller was himself an earl, probably in East Anglia, perhaps as a subordinate of Gyrth." 1

RALPH of Toesny (d. 1102), was a Norman Baron who came in the female line of the stock of Malahulc, uncle of Rollo, the conqueror of Normandy and Ralph d'Escures, sometimes called Ralph de Turbine (d. 1122), was Archbishop of Canterbury. Ralph, Radulf, Ranulf, or Randulf (d. 1123), was chancellor, was a chaplain or clerk of Henry I, and became chancellor in 1107-1108.

Early History of the Ralph family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Ralph research. Another 117 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1205, 1232, 1705 and 1762 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: Ralph, Rolph, Rolfe, Rafe, Raff, Ralf, Ralfe and others.

Early Notables of the Ralph family

Notable among the family at this time was

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

Migration of the Ralph family to Ireland

Some of the Ralph family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 61 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


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
Ralph Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
Ralph Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Ralph migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Ralph Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
Ralph Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

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

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

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

Contemporary Notables of the name Ralph (post 1700) +
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