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Rudolph

Heart
German
"famous wolf"

Rudolph Origin and Meaning

The name Rudolph is a boy's name of German origin meaning "famous wolf".

Sure, he'd probably get a certain amount of red-nosed teasing around the holiday, but a boy named Rudolph could probably take it. Besides, he's got other, more distinguished namesakes -- the great ballet dancer Nureyev, silent screen Lothario Valentino and 9-11 Mayor Giuliani.

Softening short form Rudy has stood on its own long enough to have been consistently in the Top 1000 for as long as Social Security records have been tallied, while Rudolph has been off for decades. Can it be one of the German names for boysprime for a comeback?

The name was spread in England via the Anthony Hope novel Prisoner of Zenda, which set the fashion for romantic adventure stories in imaginary Balkan countries in the early 20th century.

# 994 in the US

Rudolph Rank in US Top 1000

# 2406 on Nameberry

Rudolph Rank in Nameberry Top 1000

Rudolph Popularity

20 Names Similar to Rudolph

These 20 names were selected by our users that were looking for other names like Rudolph.

Famous People Named Rudolph

  • RudolphKing of France
  • Rudolph William Louis "Rudy" GiulianiAmerican lawyer and politician; 107th mayor of New York City
  • Rudolph Valentino (born Rodolfo Alfonso Raffaello Pierre Filibert Guglielmi di Valentina d'Antonguella)Italian,born American silent film actor
  • Rudolph IICount of Habsburg
  • Rudolph CartierAustrian director
  • Rudolph Maté (born Rudolf Mayer)Polish,Hungarian,American cinematographer
  • Rudolph SchildkrautAustrian actor
  • Rudolph Malcolm WalkerTrinidadian,British actor
  • Rudolph Arthur MarcusCanadian chemist; winner of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry
  • (Charles) Rudolph BoysenAmerican creator of the boysenberry
  • Rudolph GanzSwiss,American conductor
  • Rudolph Bernard IsleyAmerican singer of The Isley Brothers
  • Rudolph LewisEnglish operatic bass,baritone
  • Rudolph Cornelius WiedoeftAmerican saxophonist
  • (Franz) Rudolph WurlitzerGerman,American organ maker
  • Rudolph John Chauncey FisherAmerican physician and novelist
  • (Karl) Rudolph KoenigGerman physicist
  • Rudolph "Rudie" Gustav HassAmerican creator of the Hass avocado
  • Rudolph AckermannGerman publisher and bookseller

Rudolph in Pop Culture

  • "Rudolph the RedNosed Reindeer," one of Santa's reindeer, Christmas song, and TV special
  • Rudolph 'Rudy' Stieblitzaka Regular Sized Rudy, from "Bob's Burgers"
  • Rudolph Fentzmain character in short story "I'm Scared" by Jack Finney and subject of a time,traveling urban legend
  • Rudolph Spielmancharacter in "Harry Potter" universe