Adolf

Adolf (also spelt Adolph or Adolphe, Adolfo and when Latinised Adolphus) is a given name used in German-speaking countries, Scandinavia, the Netherlands and Flanders, France, Italy, Spain, Portugal and to a lesser extent in various Central European and East European countries with non-Germanic languages, such as Lithuanian Adolfas and Latvian Ādolfs. Adolphus can also appear as a surname, as in John Adolphus, the English historian. The female forms Adolphine and Adolpha are far more rare than the male ones.

"Adolphus" redirects here. For the Australian brigantine, see Adolphus (1852).
For other uses, see Adolf (disambiguation).

The name is a compound derived from the Old High German Athalwolf (or Hadulf), a composition of athal, or adal, meaning "noble" (or had(u)-, meaning “battle, combat”), and wolf. The name is cognate to the Anglo-Saxon name Æthelwulf (also Eadulf or Eadwulf). The name can also be derived from the ancient Germanic elements "Wald" meaning "power", "brightness" and wolf.

Adolf
PronunciationGerman pronunciation: [ˈaːdɔlf]
GenderMale
Language(s)German, French, Italian, Spanish, Welsh, Portuguese
Origin
MeaningNoble wolf, Wolf power or Bright wolf
Other names
Variant form(s)Adi (nickname), Addie (nickname), Alf (short), Alfie (nickname), Adolff, Adolph, Adolphe, Ādolfs, Adolphus, Adolfo, Aatu, Dolfy (nickname), Dolphy (nickname), Adalwolf, Waldwolf

Popularity and usage

During the 19th and early 20th century, Adolf was a popular name for baby boys in German-speaking countries and to a lesser extent also in French-speaking countries (spelled there as Adolphe). Due to negative associations with Adolf Hitler, it has declined in popularity as a given name for males since the end of World War II.[1] It remains common among men born before 1945. Adolf Dassler, the founder of Adidas, used his nickname, 'Adi', in his professional life and for the name of his company.[2] Similarly, the French version, Adolphe—previously a fairly common name in France and the name of a classic French novel—has virtually disappeared, along with Italian Adolfo.

However, the Spanish and Portuguese version, Adolfo, has not become stigmatised in the same way. It is still in common use in Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking countries across the world.[3]

Monarchs and nobles

Saints

People with the given name in any variant

Adolf

Adolfas

Adolfo

Adolph

Adolphe

Adolphus

People with the surname Adolf or Adolphus

Fictional characters

See also

References
  1. "Name Adolf statistics and meaning / Vorname Adolf * Statistik und Bedeutung". Retrieved 4 June 2012.
  2. "History". Archived from the original on 2015-02-08. Retrieved 2017-06-06.
  3. "Adolfo - Baby Boy Name Meaning and Origin | Oh Baby! Names". www.ohbabynames.com. Retrieved 2017-06-06.
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