Rudolph
Latinized spelling of the Germanic name Hrodulf, formed from hrod, meaning fame, and wulf, wolf. Several Habsburg rulers carried it.
Rudolph in 2025
Rudolph was given to 25 babies in the United States in 2025, making it the 9,026th most popular name of the year. That is roughly one in every 132,614 babies born.
The history of Rudolph
Rudolph reached its highest point in 1927, when 1,700 babies were given the name, ranking 254th that year.
Across the 146 years of records since 1880, 53,638 babies have been named Rudolph. Half of them were born before 1934, which places the name's centre of gravity with the Silent Generation.
Rudolph by decade
| Decade | Babies named Rudolph | Best rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 652 | 377 |
| 1890s | 998 | 415 |
| 1900s | 1,339 | 411 |
| 1910s | 6,886 | 309 |
| 1920s | 12,638 | 254 |
| 1930s | 8,247 | 305 |
| 1940s | 6,574 | 459 |
| 1950s | 6,664 | 496 |
| 1960s | 3,535 | 828 |
| 1970s | 2,197 | 1,018 |
| 1980s | 1,703 | 1,414 |
| 1990s | 1,054 | 1,988 |
| 2000s | 589 | 3,518 |
| 2010s | 392 | 5,886 |
| 2020s | 170 | 7,422 |
Where Rudolph is heading
Rudolph has fallen 39% over the past decade, from 41 babies in 2015 to 25 in 2025.
That is less than 5% of its 1927 peak — Rudolph is now a rare name in the United States.
Names like Rudolph
Names that rose and fell at the same time as Rudolph.