Randolph surname meaning

Randolph is an English and German surname from the ancient Germanic personal name Randolf, composed of rand, “rim of a shield,” and wolf. The Normans brought Old French forms into England, where two related names—Randulf (shield-edge + wolf) and Rannulf (raven + wolf)—became confused in medieval records. Randall is the everyday pronunciation and a surname in its own right; Randolf and Randy are related forms. Parent’s name is high confidence: the surname tracks a Germanic given name rather than a place, trade, or descriptive nickname.