Where does “Ralf” come from?
Ralf (German) comes from English Ralph, from Middle English Radulf, from Old English Rǣdwulf, from Proto-Germanic *Rādawulf, from Proto-Germanic Rēdawulfaz, from Proto-Germanic rēdaz, from Proto-Indo-European Hréh₁dʰos, from Proto-Indo-European Hreh₁dʰ- — to fit, to fix, to put together.
Ancestry of “Ralf”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Ralph | Fictional person used in references to vomiting |
| 2 | Middle English | Radulf | — |
| 3 | Old English | Rǣdwulf | — |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | *Rādawulf | — |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | Rēdawulfaz | — |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | rēdaz | advice, counsel |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | Hréh₁dʰos | — |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | Hreh₁dʰ- | to think; to arrange; to succeed, accomplish |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂reh₁- | to think, reason; to arrange |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂er- | to fit, to fix, to put together |