Rudolph
Rudolph was given to 25 boys in 2025, #4,230 among boys’ names; 53,638 Americans have been recorded with it since 1880 (Social Security Administration, published May 2026).
An estimated 16,700 Americans named Rudolph and born in the U.S. are alive in 2026 (31% of everyone recorded); the median is 66 years old and half are between 49 and 76.
Girls and boys together; gaps are years SSA did not record (fewer than 5 births).
Births of Rudolph by year: SSA national baby-name file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
What does Rudolph mean?
Wiktionary, English section
Rudolph is “a male given name from the Germanic languages.”
Also “a given name for a caribou.”
Borrowed from German Rudolph, Rudolf (compare Proto-Germanic *Hrōþiwulfaz).
/ˈɹuːdɒ(l)f/
Meaning: Wiktionary, English section, as of Sep 25, 2026 (CC BY‑SA 4.0).
How popular is Rudolph?
#4,230 among boys’ names, 2025
Rudolph fell from #2,907 in 2015 to #4,230 in 2025 among boys’ names; its share of boys born fell from 21.4 to 14.6 per million.
1,700 babies in 1927, the peak
Rudolph peaked in 1927, when 1,700 babies were given it (1,690 boys, #110 among boys’ names). The 25 births of 2025 are 1% of that peak.
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 boys |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 25 | #4,230 | 0.01 |
| 2024 | 34 | #3,442 | 0.02 |
| 2023 | 22 | #4,711 | 0.01 |
| 2022 | 30 | #3,753 | 0.02 |
| 2021 | 31 | #3,631 | 0.02 |
| 2020 | 28 | #3,790 | 0.02 |
| 2019 | 41 | #2,983 | 0.02 |
| 2018 | 34 | #3,354 | 0.02 |
| 2017 | 40 | #2,996 | 0.02 |
| 2016 | 34 | #3,349 | 0.02 |
Every recorded year (146)
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 boys |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 41 | #2,907 | 0.02 |
| 2014 | 47 | #2,612 | 0.02 |
| 2013 | 36 | #3,109 | 0.02 |
| 2012 | 43 | #2,805 | 0.02 |
| 2011 | 44 | #2,731 | 0.02 |
| 2010 | 32 | #3,432 | 0.02 |
| 2009 | 35 | #3,260 | 0.02 |
| 2008 | 54 | #2,400 | 0.03 |
| 2007 | 45 | #2,711 | 0.02 |
| 2006 | 50 | #2,468 | 0.02 |
| 2005 | 58 | #2,121 | 0.03 |
| 2004 | 59 | #2,043 | 0.03 |
| 2003 | 65 | #1,835 | 0.03 |
| 2002 | 69 | #1,703 | 0.04 |
| 2001 | 82 | #1,495 | 0.04 |
| 2000 | 72 | #1,634 | 0.04 |
| 1999 | 63 | #1,682 | 0.03 |
| 1998 | 92 | #1,297 | 0.05 |
| 1997 | 76 | #1,434 | 0.04 |
| 1996 | 109 | #1,103 | 0.06 |
| 1995 | 105 | #1,116 | 0.06 |
| 1994 | 105 | #1,099 | 0.05 |
| 1993 | 108 | #1,073 | 0.06 |
| 1992 | 119 | #991 | 0.06 |
| 1991 | 131 | #924 | 0.06 |
| 1990 | 146 | #844 | 0.07 |
| 1989 | 183 | #729 | 0.09 |
| 1988 | 170 | #722 | 0.09 |
| 1987 | 156 | #731 | 0.08 |
| 1986 | 139 | #770 | 0.08 |
| 1985 | 157 | #705 | 0.08 |
| 1984 | 165 | #676 | 0.09 |
| 1983 | 175 | #647 | 0.10 |
| 1982 | 192 | #626 | 0.11 |
| 1981 | 170 | #660 | 0.09 |
| 1980 | 196 | #625 | 0.11 |
| 1979 | 189 | #624 | 0.11 |
| 1978 | 182 | #621 | 0.11 |
| 1977 | 181 | #624 | 0.11 |
| 1976 | 198 | #580 | 0.13 |
| 1975 | 188 | #588 | 0.12 |
| 1974 | 218 | #543 | 0.14 |
| 1973 | 215 | #536 | 0.14 |
| 1972 | 231 | #519 | 0.14 |
| 1971 | 275 | #485 | 0.16 |
| 1970 | 309 | #462 | 0.17 |
| 1969 | 250 | #486 | 0.14 |
| 1968 | 271 | #463 | 0.16 |
| 1967 | 276 | #452 | 0.16 |
| 1966 | 352 | #403 | 0.20 |
| 1965 | 328 | #426 | 0.18 |
| 1964 | 378 | #415 | 0.19 |
| 1963 | 412 | #395 | 0.20 |
| 1962 | 412 | #400 | 0.20 |
| 1961 | 414 | #392 | 0.19 |
| 1960 | 442 | #377 | 0.21 |
| 1959 | 458 | #366 | 0.21 |
| 1958 | 489 | #346 | 0.23 |
| 1957 | 572 | #319 | 0.27 |
| 1956 | 718 | #274 | 0.34 |
| 1955 | 653 | #281 | 0.32 |
| 1954 | 653 | #276 | 0.32 |
| 1953 | 745 | #253 | 0.38 |
| 1952 | 777 | #240 | 0.40 |
| 1951 | 831 | #228 | 0.44 |
| 1950 | 756 | #239 | 0.42 |
| 1949 | 822 | #223 | 0.46 |
| 1948 | 716 | #241 | 0.41 |
| 1947 | 696 | #249 | 0.38 |
| 1946 | 628 | #246 | 0.39 |
| 1945 | 574 | #235 | 0.43 |
| 1944 | 573 | #235 | 0.42 |
| 1943 | 664 | #221 | 0.47 |
| 1942 | 658 | #222 | 0.48 |
| 1941 | 600 | #220 | 0.49 |
| 1940 | 622 | #206 | 0.54 |
| 1939 | 587 | #208 | 0.53 |
| 1938 | 684 | #192 | 0.62 |
| 1937 | 630 | #197 | 0.59 |
| 1936 | 647 | #192 | 0.62 |
| 1935 | 745 | #181 | 0.72 |
| 1934 | 779 | #175 | 0.75 |
| 1933 | 847 | #167 | 0.85 |
| 1932 | 960 | #158 | 0.92 |
| 1931 | 1,102 | #146 | 1.1 |
| 1930 | 1,219 | #140 | 1.1 |
| 1929 | 1,220 | #140 | 1.1 |
| 1928 | 1,308 | #134 | 1.2 |
| 1927 | 1,690 | #110 | 1.5 |
| 1926 | 1,636 | #111 | 1.5 |
| 1925 | 1,240 | #136 | 1.1 |
| 1924 | 1,229 | #138 | 1.1 |
| 1923 | 1,303 | #128 | 1.2 |
| 1922 | 1,145 | #138 | 1.1 |
| 1921 | 960 | #157 | 0.87 |
| 1920 | 830 | #169 | 0.78 |
| 1919 | 802 | #170 | 0.82 |
| 1918 | 962 | #149 | 0.95 |
| 1917 | 946 | #141 | 1.0 |
| 1916 | 988 | #137 | 1.1 |
| 1915 | 974 | #135 | 1.1 |
| 1914 | 732 | #139 | 1.1 |
| 1913 | 565 | #139 | 1.1 |
| 1912 | 453 | #141 | 1.1 |
| 1911 | 217 | #155 | 1.0 |
| 1910 | 218 | #147 | 1.1 |
| 1909 | 173 | #148 | 1.1 |
| 1908 | 173 | #140 | 1.1 |
| 1907 | 135 | #162 | 0.92 |
| 1906 | 125 | #158 | 0.94 |
| 1905 | 132 | #156 | 1.0 |
| 1904 | 128 | #150 | 1.0 |
| 1903 | 120 | #153 | 1.0 |
| 1902 | 119 | #151 | 1.0 |
| 1901 | 87 | #172 | 0.82 |
| 1900 | 147 | #145 | 1.0 |
| 1899 | 100 | #153 | 0.94 |
| 1898 | 115 | #147 | 0.94 |
| 1897 | 109 | #147 | 1.0 |
| 1896 | 108 | #154 | 0.90 |
| 1895 | 106 | #147 | 0.90 |
| 1894 | 104 | #148 | 0.90 |
| 1893 | 101 | #149 | 0.90 |
| 1892 | 95 | #169 | 0.78 |
| 1891 | 68 | #187 | 0.67 |
| 1890 | 92 | #154 | 0.83 |
| 1889 | 83 | #165 | 0.75 |
| 1888 | 54 | #238 | 0.45 |
| 1887 | 71 | #178 | 0.70 |
| 1886 | 68 | #198 | 0.61 |
| 1885 | 70 | #189 | 0.65 |
| 1884 | 77 | #182 | 0.67 |
| 1883 | 61 | #196 | 0.58 |
| 1882 | 52 | #230 | 0.46 |
| 1881 | 62 | #186 | 0.62 |
| 1880 | 54 | #218 | 0.49 |
Ranks and shares: boys’ names in each year’s SSA file; share of all boys SSA recorded that year.
Is Rudolph a boy’s or a girl’s name?
Rudolph has been given almost only to boys: 197 girls in 146 years of records.
Girls and boys named Rudolph: the SSA national file counts each sex separately.
How many people are named Rudolph, and how old are they?
16,700 alive in 2026, estimated
That is 31% of the 53,638 Americans ever recorded as Rudolph. The median Rudolph alive today is 66 years old; half are between 49 and 76.
The 2020 Census counted 18,795 people named Rudolph (38 women and girls, 18,757 men and boys). SSA’s births carried forward to Census day, April 1, 2020, predict 20,296 born in the U.S. The Census count is 7% below that prediction.
Alive today, by age
Alive today, by generation
| Generation | Born | Alive |
|---|---|---|
| Silent Generation | 1928-1945 | 2,310 |
| Baby Boomers | 1946-1964 | 7,420 |
| Generation X | 1965-1980 | 3,390 |
| Millennials | 1981-1996 | 2,210 |
| Generation Z | 1997-2012 | 922 |
| Generation Alpha | 2013-2025 | 440 |
An estimate, not a count. SSA’s files count people born in the United States who received a Social Security number, so anyone born abroad is not in them; before 1937 most people got a number as adults, and their survival is counted from that age.
Living estimate: SSA births carried forward with the survival rates in SSA’s cohort life tables (2024 Trustees Report) for each birth year and sex. How the estimate is made. Count: Census Bureau, first names in the 2020 Census (released April 14, 2026; names reported 100 or more times, with the Bureau’s disclosure-avoidance adjustment).
Where are babies named Rudolph born?
The states with the most babies named Rudolph are New York, California and Pennsylvania, with 29% of its births recorded by state since 1910.
| State | Since 1910 | Rank, boys | vs. national |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York | 5,685 | not ranked | 1.2× |
| California | 3,951 | #2,741 | 1.4× |
| Pennsylvania | 3,874 | not ranked | 1.0× |
| Texas | 3,243 | not ranked | 1.1× |
| Illinois | 3,035 | not ranked | 1.1× |
| North Carolina | 1,994 | not ranked | 1.2× |
| New Jersey | 1,905 | not ranked | 1.2× |
| Ohio | 1,748 | not ranked | 0.7× |
| Florida | 1,710 | not ranked | 1.8× |
| Michigan | 1,668 | not ranked | 0.8× |
Where Rudolph is more common than its national share predicts
Relative to its national share, Rudolph is most over-represented in Florida: since 1910 it was given 1.8 times as often there as its national share each year would predict.
States: SSA state file, 1910-2025, published May 8, 2026; births count girls and boys together, and the rank is among boys’ names in the state in 2025. The file leaves out any state and year with fewer than 5 babies of the name, so small states are undercounted; each ratio compares the state’s births of Rudolph with the births its national share predicts year by year, for states with at least 100 births of the name.
Names spelled alike
Of these 2 names spelled alike, given to 56,589 babies since 1880, Rudolph is the most given (95% of them). In 2025 it was given to 25 of their 25 babies (100%), again the most given.
Spelled alike: names in the SSA national file with the same pattern of letters and sounds and at most two letters apart, and Wiktionary’s listed forms; births since 1880 and in 2025, and each name’s peak year, from the SSA national file, published May 8, 2026. Some are separate names, not spellings of one.
Names that rose and fell in the same decades as Rudolph
Names whose births rose and fell across the same decades, measured on each decade’s share of births.
Similar histories: each decade’s share of births, from the SSA national file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
More about Rudolph and names like it
- Compare Rudolph and RudolfBirths, ranks, peak and the living estimate side by side.
- The most given names of the 1920sRudolph peaked in 1927.
- New York’s most given namesThe state where SSA recorded the most babies named Rudolph since 1910.
- Germanic namesWiktionary’s origin for Rudolph: every such name, by how often it is given.
- The top names of 1927The year the most babies were named Rudolph.
- The names of the Baby BoomersMost people named Rudolph alive today were born 1946-1964.
- Names starting with RMost given first.