An English, German and Scottish surname, Randolph comes from ‘rand’ and ‘wolf’ refers to a shield and a wolf. A spelling variation for Randolph is Randolf. In England the Randolph surname is strongest in the city of London, and surrounding counties of Kent, Middlesex, Essex and west to Hampshire, Somerset and Devon. In the northern region of England the Randolph name is common in Yorkshire, Durham and Northumberland. In Scotland many Randolph families moved in the 19th century to Canada and Australia. Within the United States many of the Randolph families started in Virginia, Massachusetts, new York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Tennessee, Illinois, Missouri and Texas. Famous: Jane Randolph (actress), Zach Randolph (professional basketball player), Robert Randolph (musician), Peyton Randolph (18th century – first president of the American Continental Congress), Leonard Randolph (professional basketball player), William Randolph (17th century pioneer settler from England to Virginia) and Paschal B. Randolph (19th century writer and medical doctor).