| Hudson | Ralph | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Son of Hugh | counsel wolf |
| Origin | English | english |
| Gender | Boy | Boy |
| Pronunciation | HUD-sun | RALF |
| Syllables | 2 | 1 |
| First appeared | 1880 | 0 |
| Peak year | 2025 (8,583) | 1921 (8,860) |
| In 2025 | 8,583 | 0 |
| Trend | Near its peak | Vintage |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Hudson | Ralph |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 46,951 | 1,113 |
| 2010s | 51,463 | 1,978 |
| 2000s | 12,220 | 2,779 |
| 1990s | 1,496 | 4,474 |
| 1980s | 294 | 7,998 |
| 1970s | 133 | 14,755 |
| 1960s | 146 | 34,190 |
| 1950s | 200 | 60,440 |
| 1940s | 235 | 64,983 |
| 1930s | 255 | 63,802 |
| 1920s | 384 | 84,466 |
| 1910s | 334 | 52,522 |
| 1900s | 75 | 9,298 |
| 1890s | 67 | 6,951 |
| 1880s | 34 | 4,269 |
Hudson comes from an English surname meaning “son of Hudde,” a medieval pet form of Hugh or Richard. It also recalls the Hudson River, named for explorer Henry Hudson.
Contracted from the Germanic/Old Norse name Radulf (Radulfr, Old English Raedwulf), combining 'rad' ('counsel, advice') and 'wulf/ulfr' ('wolf'), hence 'counsel wolf'.
Hudson is more popular than Ralph today: about 8,583 US babies were given the name Hudson in 2025, compared with 0 named Ralph.
Hudson means Son of Hugh (English origin), while Ralph means counsel wolf (english origin).
In US records, Hudson first appears in 1880 and Ralph in 0, so Ralph has the longer recorded history.