Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

Please or to access all these features

Baby names

Find baby name inspiration and advice on the Mumsnet Baby Names forum.

Honest views on Ralf....

74 replies

legallyblond · 29/08/2013 16:06

I'm pregnant with twins who are arriving in 10 days.... if its two boys (we don't know the sexes), first boy will be Hugo, and for the second we had decided on Ralf.

To be pronounced as it is spelt (ie not Rafe)...

I am wavering. I love the name, but....

  1. Will we have a constant mispronunciation issue (we thought less chance of the "Rafe" mistake with Ralf, as opposed to Ralph)? How would you pronounce "Ralf" if you saw it?
  1. I love it, but is it a "dog's name"?!? Will there be constant "I had a dog named Ralph" etc... Not sure why I think this!

Argh!

OP posts:
Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
sonlypuppyfat · 29/08/2013 16:14

Sorry don't like it, it is like a dogs name. and I saw a comedy once about a man being sick and he said I've been shouting Ralph into the toilet ugh

SunnyIntervals · 29/08/2013 16:16

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

squoosh · 29/08/2013 16:31

It's a bit . . . . . . . . . . captain of the local darts team.

rocketupbum · 29/08/2013 16:37

I have a ralf (spelt and pronounced as that). No one has ever mispronounced it! We do live up north so maybe that's why.
Most people say its a very cool name and we love it obviously!
I think it goes well with Hugo.

EarthMither · 29/08/2013 16:46

Sorry OP, but being of (ahem) a certain age, to me the name Ralph will be forever associated with a male member

FriskyMare · 29/08/2013 16:52

I quite like it, Ralf Little is quite cool.

FriskyMare · 29/08/2013 16:52

Erk! Too many "quites"

BNmum · 29/08/2013 17:06

I like it although I prefer the Ralph spelling. I also prefer Hugh to Hugo but that's probably because Hugo seems to be getting very popular.

Fifi2406 · 29/08/2013 17:06

I think Ralph is a better spelling than Ralf I think people will be more likely to spell it Ralph and you and your dc will forever be correcting them but I do love the name and goes with Hugo

ChunkyPickle · 29/08/2013 17:07

I like it (ponders it for DS2...).. the spelling is the spelling for the muppets I think, but I also think that any name you pick will have associations so that's not a good reason to discount a name you like.

squoosh · 29/08/2013 17:10

I think the Muppet was called Rolf although funnily enough he popped into my mind too when I saw the thread title.

Primadonnagirl · 29/08/2013 17:16

Yeah I immediately thought of calling Ralf on the big white telephone ie being sick into the loo...sorry but it's quite a common phrase here...you might not live here of course!

LauraChant · 29/08/2013 17:18

It made me think of being sick too. Sorry Sad

LauraChant · 29/08/2013 17:18

I really like Hugo though!

Umlauf · 29/08/2013 17:23

I like it spelt Ralph. I never knew Ralph could be pronounced Rafe until we read Lord of the Flies at school and I came home very righteously complaining my teacher couldn't pronounce Ralph properly.

I do know a dog called Ralph though...!

LittleAbruzzenBear · 29/08/2013 17:23

DS2 is Ralph, it suits him and we haven't had any negative comments to our faces anyway in fact the opposite, but what a nice name it is. There are connotations to many names that are popular, but I don't think of them. A person defines their name, not the other way IYSWIM. I like that it's old-fashioned.

ITCouldBeWorse · 29/08/2013 17:23

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

ITCouldBeWorse · 29/08/2013 17:23

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

LittleAbruzzenBear · 29/08/2013 17:26

ps. There will always be someone with the same name as a dog as people give their dogs human names - see George, Bertie, Toby, Charlie, Harry, Jack, Finn....all names of my friends dogs for example?

Iwantacat · 29/08/2013 17:30

Love it, I know a little Ralf. Go for it.

PukousMucous · 29/08/2013 17:37

Judy Blume was my first though too!

bingeddybongo · 29/08/2013 18:14

My first thought wasn't Judy Blume, though it came a close second - my instant reaction was Ralf Wiggum! But once I get his voice out of my head, I think it's a very cute name Grin

JamieandtheMagicTorch · 29/08/2013 19:52

I'm sorry, I don't like it. It dos make me think of "puke". I like Hugo

What about:

Raphael
Rufus
Theo
Leo

JamieandtheMagicTorch · 29/08/2013 19:53

Max
Marcus

Victor? Grin

JosiePosiePuddingAndPie · 29/08/2013 19:56

Ralfing = being sick therefore no!