What do you think of [name]Ralph[/name] pronounced as ‘rafe’, and what do you think of [name]Ralph[/name] pronounced as it looks? Which do you prefer? [name]Do[/name] you think [name]Ralph[/name] pronounced as it looks is usable today or too old-manish?
I’m quite fond of [name]Raul[/name] and [name]Raoul[/name], and fond of [name]Raphael[/name] nickname [name]Rafe[/name], but I am not quite ready for [name]Ralph[/name]. Though the [name]Rafe[/name] pronunciation is the more pleasant of the two.
I’m not keen on [name]Ralph[/name] I must admit. [name]Rafe[/name] is better.
[name]Love[/name] the name! As an Aussie, I’ve only heard of the one pronunciation which is how it is spelled. [name]How[/name] is the “upper class” version pronounced?
I prefer the pronunciation of [name]Ralph[/name] how it’s spelled. I’ve never heard it any other way. I like one-syllable “old-mannish” names like this. To me, [name]Ralph[/name], although somewhat old-fashioned, can still work today. I would love to see more little Ralphs because of it’s underuse. I also really like [name]Clive[/name], [name]Clyde[/name], and [name]Claude[/name].
I love the British pronunciation but I know no one in my area would ever say it like that. I really want to be ready for [name]Ralph[/name] (I loved [name]Ralph[/name] Bighead from [name]Rocko[/name]'s Modern Life) — but all I get is “you mean like [name]Ralph[/name] Wiggum?” when I ask about it. Judging how long the Simpsons has been on the air, I don’t think that association will go away soon (at least in my circle). Also, my friends commonly used the word, ralph, as a synonym for vomiting. Sigh.
BUT – if you don’t have those associations, I would love to meet a little [name]Ralph[/name].
I like [name]Ralph[/name] pronounced both ways ([name]Rafe[/name] and Rowlf), but I do think it’s a tough name in the US because of the vomit association (kind of like it’s hard to use [name]Jemima[/name] here too). If you wanted it to be pronounced [name]Rafe[/name], I would spell it like that. You could also use [name]Randolph[/name] and make [name]Rand[/name] or [name]Ralph[/name] a nn.
The “rafe” pronunciation makes absolutely no sense to me. I don’t care how “upper class British” it apparently is, why would anybody want to give their child a name that is one letter away from being one of the worst crimes imaginable? Yes, I"m aware it’s still spelled as [name]Ralph[/name], but I can easily see it being misheard.
That aside, the more basic pronunciation (as in [name]Ralph[/name] Wiggum, the Honeymooners, etc.) is actually a more underrated name to me. It does sound kind of old-fashioned, but not in a bad way. It’s a name I would like seeing on other people’s children.