Raoul is a masculine given name of Germanic origin, derived from the Old German elements 'Hrod' meaning 'fame' and 'wulf' meaning 'wolf'. This name was introduced into France via the Normans during the medieval period and has since become associated with French culture. It is pronounced as /ˈroʊl/ in English. Raoul gained popularity in various forms throughout Europe during the Middle Ages, including Raoul in France, Ralph in England, Rodrigo in Spain, and Rudolf in Germany. Some notable historical figures bearing this name include Raoul I, Duke of Burgundy, and Raoul Essek, a French-American jazz drummer.
The name Raoul experienced significant fluctuations in popularity over the past century and a half, with a clear peak during the early to mid-20th century. From the late 1800s up until the 1960s, there were consistently more than 20 births per year with peaks reaching as high as 53 births in 1928 and 47 births in both 1915 and 1917. However, since then, its popularity has steadily declined, falling below ten births per year since the mid-1990s, with recent years showing a slight resurgence to around fifteen births annually. Overall, Raoul has been given to a total of 2909 babies over this period.