boy's name
Randolph
RAN-dolf
- Origin English
- Gender Boy
- Syllables 2
- Letters 8
- Popularity Rare
- Births on record 49,655
Randolph means shield-wolf, and the shield in it is specifically the rim — the Germanic rand names the edge of the shield rather than the whole thing, which is the part that met an enemy's blade.
- Randolph is a name of English origin.
- Peaked in 1952, when 1,817 babies were given the name.
- It has been falling over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 165,782 babies in the United States is given this name.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Randolph 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 | 193 |
| 1890s | 267 |
| 1900s | 414 |
| 1910s | 1,857 |
| 1920s | 2,735 |
| 1930s | 2,854 |
| 1940s | 7,570 |
| 1950s | 15,540 |
| 1960s | 8,225 |
| 1970s | 4,038 |
| 1980s | 2,905 |
| 1990s | 1,572 |
| 2000s | 799 |
| 2010s | 434 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 133 |
What Randolph means
Randolph means shield-wolf. The Germanic joins a word for the rim of a shield to the animal, so both halves belong to the vocabulary of fighting.
Where Randolph comes from
Randolph is the Germanic Randwulf — rand, the rim or edge of a shield, joined to wulf, a wolf. Rand survives in the English word for a border or margin, and in the Rand of South Africa, named for a ridge. Wolf names were admiring rather than fearful, which is why Rudolph, Adolf and Wolfgang all carry the animal. The Normans brought Randolph to England, where it became the surname Randall as well as a given name.
Randolph in use
Randolph peaked in the United States in 1952, when 1,817 babies were registered, and is falling in our data. It charts in exactly one of the six markets we track, at 5043rd in the United States on 20 births, across 49,655 lifetime births. Our records carry it from 1880, so the whole of the decline is twentieth-century.
How popular is Randolph?
In 2025, Randolph was given to 20 babies in the United States. It is a rare choice.
Where Randolph 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 Randolph
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Randolph also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Randolph over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
1 nickname for Randolph
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.
Randolph 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 Randolph
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Randolph — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Randolph
What does the name Randolph mean?
Shield-wolf — rand, the rim of a shield, joined to wulf.
Why the rim rather than the shield?
The rim is the part that met a blade, and the word came to stand for the whole.
Is Randall related?
Yes — the surname form of the same name.
Why so many wolf names?
The wolf was admiring. Rudolph, Adolf and Wolfgang all carry it.
How popular is the name Randolph?
In 2025, Randolph was given to 20 babies in the United States. It is a rare choice.
Is Randolph a girl's or a boy's name?
Randolph is given almost entirely to boys in birth records.
How many syllables are in Randolph?
Randolph has 2 syllables.
When was Randolph most popular?
Randolph peaked in 1952, when 1,817 babies were given the name. It has been falling over the past decade.
What are the nicknames for Randolph?
Randolph is usually shortened to Randy.
Is Randolph a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Randolph currently ranks #5,043 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.