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