Raul is the Spanish and Portuguese form of Ralph, which goes back to the Old Norse Radulfr and the Germanic elements rad, "counsel", and wulf, "wolf", giving the meaning "wolf counsel". The Spanish soccer star Raúl González made it famous on the field, and in the US it is chosen mostly by Hispanic families. Raul was number 223 in 2000, 443 in 2015 and ranks 634 among American boys' names in 2025.