Ranulph

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A masculine given name of Old Norman and Germanic origin, borne by various historical and modern figures
2. An old Anglo-Norman male first name derived from Germanic roots, still used in Britain today
3. A traditional masculine forename of Germanic origin, popular among medieval English and Norman families

Etymology: Ranulph is a variant spelling of Randolph, a personal name of Germanic origin whose two elements, "rand" (shield's edge or board) and "wulf" (wolf), combine into something like "shield-wolf." The name arrived in England with the Normans, and the spelling Ranulph was a common medieval form, used especially for the Anglo-Norman nobility, before Randolph became the more usual version in later centuries. Because the two spellings sit side by side in the record, they are the same name rather than two separate words. Ranulph is the older-looking form, and its survival today is largely in its use as a given name, most notably in the case of the explorer Sir Ranulph Fiennes, whose name shows the medieval spelling still in use.