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Rudolpha

Ok, wow. I am seven days behind on my posts. I don't know how I'll catch up!!

Today's name: Rudolpha (since Rudolph is nearly out of the question, but it's still Christmas time)

Pronunciation: ru-DOL-fah

Potential nicknames: Rudy, Dolly, Rue, Rua, Dolpha

Origin: You might be thinking reindeer, but Rudolpha is Old German, the feminine variant of Rudolph, meaning "famous wolf." While Rudolph has many variants, including Rolf, Rudy, Rudolpho, and Rollo, the girl's name Rudolpha is just that.

Popularity: In 2010 and 2011 there were no baby girls named Rudolpha (despite it's rare and cute nicknames). Don't expect it to rise in popularity this century, and it hasn't been popular for a very long time. For boys, Rudolph last ranked in 1992 at #994. In 2013 the spelling Rudolf was only given to 5 boys.

Fun fact: (1) Movie star Rudolph Valentino. (2) Rudolph "Rudy" Giuliani, former mayor of New York. (3) King Rudolph I of Germany. (4) Gerald Rudolph Ford, a past U.S. president. (5) As a surname, and the only famous female namesake, Maya Rudolph, a comedienne, who has children named Jack, Pearl and Lucille. (6) Rudolph Diesel, inventor of the diesel engine. (7) Saint Rudolph. (8) Do I really have to mention Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer?
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Comments

  1. EmilyDecember 11, 2011 at 9:17 PM

    I find the "dolph" syllable to be rather clunky and unpleasant. I think if someone were wanting to honor an ancestral Rudolph (or Rudolpha), it would be best to go with just Rudy.

    ReplyDelete
  2. CristinaDecember 11, 2011 at 9:30 PM

    I would say it's an aquired taste, and it would be alongside "clunky but cool" names like Claudia, Agnes, or Ida. I happen to like it because of the "u." I *love* the letter u in names. Ursula is one of them, so is Eudoxia, both not so well liked by the majority. I also recently rediscovered Utena from an old show I used to watch.

    ReplyDelete
  3. EmilyDecember 11, 2011 at 11:33 PM

    Now I do love Claudia. I think it's gorgeous but unfortunately would be butchered by some of the local Southern accents.

    "Clawwdya"

    ReplyDelete

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