Ralph Coat of Arms, Crest and Name Facts

The Ralph last name has English roots. In Elsdon Smith's reading, the name described “descendant of Ralph (shield, wolf)”.

Arms associated with the name

A coat of arms was granted to a particular family line, not to everyone named Ralph, so a shared surname is a clue rather than a claim to the arms.

Where the name comes from

It is a patronymic: it named a person after a father or forebear.

The 2010 US Census counted 8,153 people named Ralph, ranking it number 4,358 among American surnames. Get the complete Ralph report, with a museum-style coat of arms.