boy's name
Randall
RAN-dul
- Origin Germanic
- Gender Boy
- Syllables 2
- Letters 7
- Popularity Uncommon
- Births on record 200,409
Randall is a boy's name from Germanic elements meaning shield-wolf. It charts in exactly one of our six markets, at 1499th in the United States — and its own short form Randy does not chart in Britain at all.
- Randall is a name of Germanic origin.
- Peaked in 1960, when 7,200 babies were given the name.
- It has been falling over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 28,337 babies in the United States is given this name.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Randall over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1880s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 88 |
| 1890s | 89 |
| 1900s | 157 |
| 1910s | 1,140 |
| 1920s | 1,957 |
| 1930s | 3,014 |
| 1940s | 17,896 |
| 1950s | 62,669 |
| 1960s | 52,256 |
| 1970s | 23,174 |
| 1980s | 19,675 |
| 1990s | 10,414 |
| 2000s | 4,090 |
| 2010s | 2,244 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 882 |
What Randall means
Randall means shield-wolf, or wolf of the shield rim. The Germanic joins a word for the rim of a shield to one meaning wolf, so both halves belong to the vocabulary of war.
Where Randall comes from
Randall comes from the Germanic Randwulf — rand, the rim of a shield, joined to wulf, a wolf. Wolf names were common across early Germanic naming, on the principle that a child named for a dangerous animal might take on its qualities, and the shield element appears in Randolph and Ranulf too. The Normans brought it to England as Randel, where it became a surname and then, in nineteenth-century America, a given name again. Its short form Randy, written up separately, is effectively unusable in Britain and Ireland for reasons of slang.
Randall in use
Randall peaked in the United States in 1960, when 7,200 babies were registered, and is falling in our data. It charts in exactly one of the six markets we track, at 1499th in the United States on 117 births, across 200,409 lifetime births. Its short form Randy holds rather more volume and charts in two markets, though neither is British or Irish.
How popular is Randall?
In 2025, Randall was given to 117 babies in the United States. It is used consistently but remains uncommon.
Where Randall is used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
Names that peaked alongside Randall
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Randall also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Randall over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
2 nicknames for Randall
Each one is a name in its own right — the figure underneath is how it is doing today, so you can see which short forms are rising and which have faded.
Randall in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
Sibling names for Randall
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Randall — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Randall
What does the name Randall mean?
Shield-wolf — the Germanic rand, a shield rim, joined to wulf.
Is Randall the same as Randolph?
Both descend from the same Germanic Randwulf; Randall came through the Norman Randel.
Why does Randy not chart in Britain?
Randy is common British and Irish slang for sexually aroused, which has effectively retired the short form there.
How popular is Randall?
1499th in the United States, the only market where it charts.
Is Randall a girl's or a boy's name?
Randall is given almost entirely to boys in birth records.
How many syllables are in Randall?
Randall has 2 syllables.
What are the nicknames for Randall?
Randall is usually shortened to Randy and Rand.
Is Randall a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Randall currently ranks #1,499 in the United States. It has been falling over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.