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Boy · Old Norse
Rolf
Say it: ROLF
Meaning
From Old Norse Hrólfr, a contraction of Hróðulfr: hróðr 'fame' and úlfr 'wolf'.
Certainscholars agree on this meaning.
Borne by Rollo, the Viking founder of Normandy, and popular in Scandinavia in the 20th century.
Its wave through time
A fashion of the 1930s
In the United States
- 3,079 babies given this name since 1912
- At its height in 1934, about 1 in 19,900 boys
- 6 babies in 2020
Through the ages
- The Viking and Anglo-Saxon Age700 to 1100
- The High and Late Middle Ages1100 to 1450
- Victorian and Belle Époque1837 to 1914
- The Modern Age1880 to today
Used by
The family of the name
Other spellings: Rolv
| Old Norse | Hrólfr |
|---|---|
| Latin | Rollo |
| German | Rudolf |
Famous bearers
- Rollo (Hrólfr), founder of Normandy
- Hrólfr Kraki, legendary Danish king
Names worth a look
Where this comes from
- The Icelandic sagas and other Old Norse literature
- Royal and noble genealogies
- United States Social Security birth records, 1880 to today source
Meanings and histories are compiled from the study of names and their languages and checked by a second review.
Meanings and histories are drawn from the study of names and their languages, each with a confidence rating; popularity figures come from official birth records. Name histories are a living field: if you know of a correction, we would be glad to hear it.