| Grayson | Ralph | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Son of the steward | counsel wolf |
| Origin | English | english |
| Gender | Boy | Boy |
| Pronunciation | GRAY-sun | RALF |
| Syllables | 2 | 1 |
| First appeared | 1905 | 0 |
| Peak year | 2017 (8,718) | 1921 (8,860) |
| In 2025 | 5,805 | 0 |
| Trend | Rising | Vintage |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Grayson | Ralph |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 40,746 | 1,113 |
| 2010s | 66,408 | 1,978 |
| 2000s | 14,167 | 2,779 |
| 1990s | 4,732 | 4,474 |
| 1980s | 1,092 | 7,998 |
| 1970s | 393 | 14,755 |
| 1960s | 282 | 34,190 |
| 1950s | 247 | 60,440 |
| 1940s | 241 | 64,983 |
| 1930s | 212 | 63,802 |
| 1920s | 273 | 84,466 |
| 1910s | 189 | 52,522 |
| 1900s | 12 | 9,298 |
| 1890s | 0 | 6,951 |
| 1880s | 0 | 4,269 |
Grayson comes from an English surname meaning “son of the greyward (a steward)” or “son of Gray.” A surname-name that soared for boys in recent decades.
Contracted from the Germanic/Old Norse name Radulf (Radulfr, Old English Raedwulf), combining 'rad' ('counsel, advice') and 'wulf/ulfr' ('wolf'), hence 'counsel wolf'.
Grayson is more popular than Ralph today: about 5,805 US babies were given the name Grayson in 2025, compared with 0 named Ralph.
Grayson means Son of the steward (English origin), while Ralph means counsel wolf (english origin).
In US records, Grayson first appears in 1905 and Ralph in 0, so Ralph has the longer recorded history.