My nickname is Ralph(ie).
When I was a toddler, I was obssessed with The Muppets. I loved all of them, but Rowlf was my favorite by far. I would sit at our piano and try to play like him. It didn't work, but I did annoy my parents
It was easier to say Ralph, though, than Rowlf, so my family started calling me Ralph.
The nickname probably would have died, had it not been for the movie A Christmas Story with the younger brother named Ralphie. My sister and I loved this movie. She was convinced that I was just like Ralphie in the movie, so it lived on.
Thankfully, my parents only use this when they are feeling nostalgic, so it stays hidden in the closet most of the time with the rest of the skeletons.