Adolf (also spelt Adolph or Adolphe, Adolfo, and when Latinised Adolphus) is a given name with German origins.

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 (Waldwulf).

Due to its extremely negative associations with the Nazi leader Adolf Hitler, the name has greatly declined in popularity since the end of World War II.

Similar names include Lithuanian Adolfas and Latvian Ādolfs. The female forms Adolphine and Adolpha are far more rare than the male names. Adolphus can also appear as a surname, as in John Adolphus, the English historian.

Adolf
King Adolf of Germany
PronunciationGerman pronunciation: [ˈaːdɔlf]
GenderMale
Language(s)German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, French, Italian, Spanish, Welsh, Portuguese
Origin
MeaningNoble wolf, Wolf power or Bright wolf
Other names
Variant form(s)Adi (nickname), Addie (nickname), Ady (nickname), Addy (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 centuries, 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). After Adolf Hitler came to power in Nazi Germany, the name Adolf became popular again, especially in 1933–1934 and 1937.[1] Due to negative associations with Hitler, the name has declined in popularity as a given name for males since the 1940s.[2] Adolf Dassler (born 1900), the founder of Adidas, used his nickname, 'Adi', in his professional life and for the name of his company.[3] After 1945, a few German people have been named Adolf due to family traditions.[4]

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 the Italian version Adolfo. However, the Spanish and Portuguese version, Adolfo, has not become stigmatised in the same way and is still in common use in Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking countries.[5]

Monarchs and nobles

Saints

People with the given name in any variant

Adolf

A–G

H–M

N–Z

Adolfas

Adolfo

Adolph

Adolphe

Adolphus

People with the surname Adolf or Adolphus

Fictional characters

See also

References

  1. ^ "Einer war sogar beliebter als Adolf: Wie die Nazis die Namen ihrer Kinder auswählten". Focus (in German). 2018-11-23.
  2. ^ "Name Adolf statistics and meaning / Vorname Adolf * Statistik und Bedeutung". Retrieved 4 June 2012.
  3. ^ "History". Archived from the original on 2015-02-08. Retrieved 2017-06-06.
  4. ^ "Adolf? Im Ernst?". Der Spiegel (in German). 2017-06-22.
  5. ^ "Adolfo - Baby Boy Name Meaning and Origin". Oh Baby! Names. 13 March 2013. Retrieved 2017-06-06.
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