Ralph?

[WhoStoleTheTarts]

I’m due in a couple of weeks with a baby boy, we’ve got a shortlist but we’ve not settled on a name yet. One name I was considering early on but that fell off the shortlist was Ralph (Rafe?), but I’m now considering it again. Would appreciate any opinions, is this cute and classic or are the pregnancy hormones getting to me?

I have a nephew who is a Rafe and it is the greatest name! Suits him as a little boy but will also be great when he grows into it

It reminds me of the lad off the simpsons.

I know a lovely boy called Ralph. He was Ralphy when little and Rafe now he’s older. It’s one of those names that I didn’t used to be keen on but it’s grown on me.

I like Rafe - Raplh pronounced the traditional way reminds me of Judy Blume's Forever...

I love this name!

Ralph is smart, grown up and friendly.

I may be biased because I have a Ralph of my own, but I love it. My boy is 8 now, and there is another Ralph in his primary school. There is also another Ralph who goes to the same football training. All three of them pronounce it Ralf, not Rafe. I like that it’s rare, but not too rare, and people have heard of the name. I grew up with a very unusual name, and didn’t want that for my children. Go for it! However, I must add that when I announced his name my mum said it sounds like a dog’s name. She wasn’t wrong. I have met several canine Ralphs since my Ralph was born, but it doesn’t bother me.

Love it, was on our top 5 boys names but having a girl!

This was my first thought too!

What about Raffael? Ralph is slang for something, but maybe not common in the U.K? google it as I don’t want to post something negative, but just to make you aware. It was a common term where I grew up.
Rafe is lovely.

So the Ralph/Rafe thing is because we’d be pronouncing it Rafe, so I don’t know if I’d spend the next 18 years correcting people’s pronunciation if everyone is going to assume it would be pronounced like Ralf.

It’s not a bad name op but if it dropped out of your shortlist I’d leave it out because Ralph pronounced Rafe can come across as a bit pedantic and annoying. I know one who constantly corrects people and I do understand why, but sometimes I do just think “can you not just let it go this time?” Also it sometimes sounds like “Rape” the way his partner says it.

Ralph Fiennes seems to manage

Love Ralph, pronounced Rafe.

Actually I have heard people make eye-roly comments about his insistence on it.

If you're going to pronounce it Rafe then I would spell it that way.

I know a Rafe who had the Ralph spelling but in his 40s he finally cracked and had enough of people getting wrong so changed the spelling to Rafe.

Why would you pronounce Ralph as Rafe?

Why not spell it Rafe or Rayf then 🤔

Ralph is the name of Michael's penis in Forever by Judy Blume.

I was just about to say the same thing.

100% mine also!

It'll always be the name of Michael's penis from Forever by Judy Blume.

Please don't call your kid Ralph

Ralph makes me think of Lord of the Flies.
Rafe, written and pronounced as Rafe, is lovely.

I struggle to get my head around Ralph being pronounced 'Rafe'. This spelling definitely looks like it should be 'Ralf', which is really dislike.

I do quite like the Rafe pronunciation, just not with the spelling Ralph.