| Rudolph | Randolph | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | famous wolf | shield wolf |
| Origin | germanic | germanic |
| Gender | Boy | Boy |
| Pronunciation | ROO-dolf | RAN-dolf |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| First appeared | 0 | 0 |
| Peak year | 1927 (1,690) | 1952 (1,817) |
| In 2025 | 0 | 0 |
| Trend | Vintage | Vintage |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Rudolph | Randolph |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 170 | 133 |
| 2010s | 392 | 434 |
| 2000s | 589 | 799 |
| 1990s | 1,054 | 1,572 |
| 1980s | 1,703 | 2,900 |
| 1970s | 2,186 | 4,020 |
| 1960s | 3,535 | 8,195 |
| 1950s | 6,652 | 15,496 |
| 1940s | 6,553 | 7,555 |
| 1930s | 8,200 | 2,854 |
| 1920s | 12,561 | 2,735 |
| 1910s | 6,857 | 1,857 |
| 1900s | 1,339 | 414 |
| 1890s | 998 | 267 |
| 1880s | 652 | 193 |
From the Germanic name Hrodwulf, combining 'hrod' ('fame') and 'wulf' ('wolf'), hence 'famous wolf'. The '-olph/-olf' ending preserves the wolf element.
From the Germanic/Old Norse name Randwulf (Rannulfr), combining 'rand' ('shield, rim') and 'wulf/ulfr' ('wolf'), meaning 'shield wolf'. Note some Norman forms became confused with Rannulf ('raven wolf').
Rudolph and Randolph are given to a similar number of US babies today.
Rudolph means famous wolf (germanic origin), while Randolph means shield wolf (germanic origin).
In US records, Rudolph first appears in 0 and Randolph in 0, so Rudolph has the longer recorded history.