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 countries. Adolphus can also appear as a surname, as in John Adolphus, the English historian. The name is a compound derived from the Old High German Athalwolf, a composition of athal, or adal, meaning "noble", 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

King Adolf of Germany
Pronunciation	German pronunciation: [ˈaːdɔlf]
Gender	Male
Language(s)	German, French, Italian, Spanish, Welsh, Portuguese
Origin
Meaning	Noble 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), 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. 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. 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.

Monarchs and noblemen

• Adulf Evil-child, more commonly known as Eadwulf Evil-child (fl. AD 973), Earl of Bamburgh
• Adolf of Nassau, "King of the Romans" (that is, King of Germany) (1255–1298)
• Adolf, Duke of Bavaria (1434–1441)
• Adolph I, Prince of Anhalt-Köthen (d. 1473)
• Adolph II, Prince of Anhalt-Köthen (1458–1526)
• Adolf of Nassau (1540–1568), Count of Nassau, brother of William the Silent
• Gustav II Adolf of Sweden, King of Sweden (1594–1632)
• Gustaf IV Adolf of Sweden, King of Sweden (1778–1837)
• Gustaf VI Adolf of Sweden, King of Sweden (1882–1973)
• Adolf Frederick of Sweden, King of Sweden (1710–1771)
• Prince Gustaf Adolf, Duke of Västerbotten, Prince of Sweden (1906–1947)
• Adolf VIII, Duke of southern Jutland (1401–1459)
• Adolf of Altena, Archbishop of Cologne (1157–1220)
• Adolf Friedrich II of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (1658–1708)
• Adolphe, Grand Duke of Luxembourg (1817–1905)
• Adolf I, Prince of Schaumburg-Lippe (1817–1893)
• Adolf II, Prince of Schaumburg-Lippe (1883–1936)
• Prince Adolf of Schaumburg-Lippe, regent of Lippe (1859–1917)
• Prince Adolphus, Duke of Cambridge, son of George III of the United Kingdom (1774–1850)
• Ernest Augustus William Adolphus George Frederick, Crown Prince of Hanover (1845–1923)
• Adolphus Cambridge, 1st Marquess of Cambridge (1868–1927)

Saints

• Saint Adulf, early medieval Anglo-Saxon saint
• St. Adolphus, 9th century Spanish martyr
• St. Adolf of Osnabrück, 13th century German martyr
• St. Adolphus Ludigo-Mkasa, 19th century Ugandan martyr

People with the given name in any variant

Adolf

• Adolf Abraham Halevi Fraenkel, German-Israeli mathematician (1891–1965)
• Adolf Albin, Romanian chess player (1848–1920)
• Adolf Anderssen, German chess player (1818–1879)
• Adolf Appellöf, Swedish zoologist (1857–1921)
• Adolf von Baeyer, German chemist who synthesised indigo and developed a nomenclature for cyclic compounds
• Adolf Bastian, German anthropologist (1826–1905)
• Adolf A. Berle, lawyer, educator, author, and U.S. diplomat (1895–1971)
• Adolf Bernhard Christoph Hilgenfeld, German theologian (1823–1907)
• Ādolfs Bļodnieks (1889-1962), 9th Prime Minister of Latvia
• Adolf Born, Czech artist and filmmaker (1930–2016)
• Adolf Brand, German journalist (1874–1945)
• Adolf Busch, German violinist and composer (1891–1952)
• Adolf Butenandt, German biochemist (1903–1995)
• Adolf Caesar, American actor, voice-over artist, theatre director, dancer, and choreographer (1933–1986)
• Adolf Cluss, German-American architect (1825–1905)
• Adolf "Dado" Topić, Croatian singer (1949–)
• Adolf Daens, Belgian theologian (1839–1907)
• Adolf "Adi" Dassler, German entrepreneur and founder of Adidas (1900–1978)
• Adolf Deucher, Swiss politician (1831–1912)
• Adolf Dymsza, Polish comic actor (1900–1975)
• Adolf Eduard Herstein, Polish-born painter and engraver (1869–1932)
• Adolf Ehrnrooth, Finnish general (1905–2004)
• Adolf Eichler, German civil architect (1869–1911)
• Adolf Eichmann, Nazi-German/Austrian, SS-officier (1906–1962)
• Adolf El Assal, Luxembourgish-Egyptian film director, writer, producer (1981–)
• Adolf Erik Nordenskiöld, Finnish-Swedish explorer (1832–1901)
• Adolf Etolin, Finnish explorer (1799–1876)
• Adolf Eugen Fick, German inventor (1829–1901)
• Adolf Fischer (officer) (1893–1947), German Nazi general
• Adolf Friedrich von Schack, German poet (1815–1894)
• Adolf Galland, German fighter pilot (1912–1996)
• Adolf Glassbrenner, German humourist (1810–1876)
• Adolf Grunbaum, philosopher of science (1923–2018)
• Adolf Hamann (1885–1945), German Nazi general
• Adolf Hedin, Swedish newspaper publisher and politician (1834–1905)
• Adolf Hempt, founder of the Pasteur Institute in Novi Sad, Serbia (1874–1943)
• Adolf Hitler, German politician and leader of the Nazi party (1889–1945)
• Adolf Hitler Campbell, son of the white supremacist Heath Hitler (2005–)
• Adolf Hurwitz, German mathematician (1859–1919)
• Adolf Holtzmann, German philologist. (1810–1870)
• Adolf Hütter, Austrian footballer (1970–)
• Adolf Just, German Naturalist founder of Luvos (1859–1936)
• Adolf Kaufmann, Austrian landscape painter (1848–1916)
• Adolf Kneser, German mathematician (1862–1930)
• Adolf Köster, German politician of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD), diplomat, Foreign Minister of Germany and Interior Minister of Germany (1883–1930)
• Adolf Kussmaul, German physician first to describe dyslexia (1822–1902)
• Adolf Kummernuss, German trade unionist (1895–1979)
• Adolf Lande, drug-control official (1905–c. 1970)
• Adolf Lindenbaum, Polish mathematician (1904–1941)
• Adolf Loos, Austrian architect (1870–1933)
• Adolf Lu Hitler Marak, Indian politician (born c. 1958)
• Adolf Lundin, Swedish oil magnate (1932–2006)
• Adolf Merckle, German entrepreneur and billionaire (1934–2009)
• Adolf Meyer (architect), German architect (1881–1929)
• Adolf Meyer (psychiatrist), Swiss-American psychiatrist (1866–1950)
• Adolf Noreen, Swedish linguist (1854–1925)
• Adolf Oberländer, German caricaturist (1845–1923)
• Adolf Ogi, Swiss politician (1942– )
• Adolf Opálka, Czech anti-Nazi fighter (1915–1942)
• Adolf Otto Reinhold Windaus, German chemist (1876–1959)
• Adolf Overweg, German scientist (1822–1852)
• Adolf Petrovsky, Soviet diplomat (1887–?)
• Adolf Pilar von Pilchau, Baltic German politician (1851–1925)
• Adolf Posumah, Indonesian news presenter of RCTI (1955–Present)
• Adolf Reinach, German phenomenologist (1883–1917)
• Adolf Rudnicki, Polish-Jewish author (1912–1990)
• Adolf Schallamach, Jewish scientist (1905–1997)
• Adolf Schärf, President of Austria (1890–1965)
• Adolf Scherer, Slovak footballer of German descent (1938–?)
• Adolf Schlagintweit, German explorer (1829–1857)
• Adolf Schmal, Austrian fencer (1872–1919)
• Adolf Schreyer, German painter (1828–1899)
• Adolf Smekal, Austrian physicist (1895–1959)
• Adolf Stieler, German cartographer (1775–1836)
• Adolf Stoecker, German theologian (1835–1909)
• Adolf Strauss, general in the Wehrmacht of Nazi Germany during World War II (1879–1973)
• Adolf Theuer, German SS officer at Auschwitz concentration camp (1920–1947)
• Adolf Tolkachev, Soviet engineer and CIA spy (1927–1986)
• Adolf van den Berg, South African cricketer (1978– )
• Adolf von Baeyer, German chemist (1835–1917)
• Adolf von Harnack, German theologian (1851–1930)
• Adolf von Henselt, German composer (1814–1889)
• Adolf von Hildebrand, sculptor (1847–1921)
• Adolf von Sonnenthal, Austrian actor (1834–1909)
• Adolf Walbrook, Austrian actor (1896–1967)
• Adolf Wahrmund Austrian-German orientalist (1827–1913)
• Adolf Wilbrandt, German novelist (1837–1911)
• Adolf Wölfli, Swiss artist (1864–1930)
• Adolf Ziegler, German painter and politician (1892–1959)
• Adolf Zeising, German psychologist, founder of Golden Ratio (1810–1876)
• Adolf Zutter (1889–1947), German SS concentration camp officer

Adolfas

• Adolfas Valeška, Lithuanian-American artist (1905–1994)

Adolfo

• Adolfo Bruno, AKA "Big Al", Italian / American mobster (1945–2003)
• Adolfo Celi, Italian actor and director (1922–1986)
• Adolfo Constanzo, American serial killer, drug trafficker, and cult leader (1962-1989)
• Adolfo Domínguez, Spanish fashion designer (1950–)
• Adolfo Pérez Esquivel, Argentinian activist and Noble Peace Prize winner (1931–)
• Adolfo Sardiña, Cuban-American fashion designer 'solely known by his first name' (1933– )
• Adolfo Valencia, Colombian footballer (1968–)
• Adolfo Veber Tkalčević, Croatian philologist, writer, literary critic and politician (1825 - 1889)

Adolph

• Adolph Achille Gereau, Virgin Islands civil servant, founder V.I. Republicans (1893–1994)
• Adolph Althoff, German Circus owner (1913–1998)
• Adolph Baller, Jewish Austrian-American pianist (1909–1994)
• Adolph Caesar, American actor (1933–1986)
• Adolph Coors, American businessman and founder of Coors Brewery (1847–1929)
• Adolph Deutsch, British-American composer, conductor and arranger (1897–1980)
• Adolph Fischer, German labor union activist (1858–1887)
• Adolph Goldschmidt, German-Jewish art historian (1863–1944)
• Adolph Green, Jewish-American lyricist and playwright (1914–2002)
• Adolph Hallis, South African pianist, composer and teacher (1896–1987)
• Adolph Heinrich Joseph Sutro mayor of San Francisco (1830–1898)
• Adolph Jacobs, American guitar player (1939–2014)
• Adolph Joffe, Russian-Jewish diplomat (1883–1927)
• Adolph Johannes Brand, South African pianist and composer (1934–)
• Adolph Kolping, German priest (1813–1865)
• Adolph Kukulowicz, Canadian ice-hockey player (1933-2008)
• Adolf Malan, former South African rugby union footballer. (1961–)
• Adolph Malan, South African flying ace in WW2 (1910–1963)
• Adolph Marx, birth name of American comic actor Harpo Marx (1888–1961)
• Adolph Mongo, American political strategist and commentator (1954–)
• Adolph Müller (Founder of Varta), (1852–1928)
• Adolph Ochs, American newspaper publisher (1858–1935)
• Adolph L. Reed, Jr., professor of political science and writer (1947–)
• Adolph Rupp, American college basketball coach (1901–1977)
• Adolph "Dolph" Schayes, American basketball player (1928–2015)
• Adolph G. Schwenk, American Marine general (1922–2004)
• Adolph Tidemand, Norwegian classical-romantic painter (1814–1876)
• Adolph von Carlowitz, German army commander during the First World War (1858–1928)
• Adolph P. Yushkevich, Russian mathematician (1906–1993)
• Adolph Zukor, Hungarian-Jewish American film mogul and founder of Paramount Pictures (1873–1976)
• Hubert Blaine Wolfeschlegelsteinhausenbergerdorff Sr., American typesetter whose actual name starts with "Adolph" (1914–1997)

Adolphe

• Adolphe Adam, French composer and music critic (1803–1856)
• Adolphe Alexandre Chaillet, Inventor of the Centennial Light (1867– 1914)
• Adolphe Crémieux, French-Jewish lawyer and statesman (1796–1880)
• Adolphe Goldschmidt, German-Jewish co-inheritor of the Goldschmidt family bank (1838–1918)
• Adolphe Guillaumat, French Army general during World War I (1863-1940)
• Adolphe Max, Belgian politician and mayor of Brussels (1869–1939)
• Adolphe Menjou, American actor and anti-Communist activist (1890–1963)
• Adolphe Nourrit, French opera singer (1802–1839)
• Adolphe Sax, Belgian musician and inventor of the saxophone (1814–1894)
• Adolphe Thiers, French Prime Minister, President, and historian (1797–1877)
• Adolphe Léon Willette, French painter and architect of the Moulin Rouge (1857–1926)

Adolphus

• Adolphus Anthony Cheatham (Doc Cheatham), American jazz trumpeter, singer, and bandleader (1905–1997)
• Adolphus Busch, American businessman and co-founder of Anheuser-Busch (1839–1913)
• Adolphus Jean Sweet, American actor (1920–1985)
• Adolphus W. Green, American businessman, founder of Nabisco (1844–1917)
• Adolphus Warburton Moore (A. W. Moore), British civil servant and mountaineer (1841–1887)

People with the surname Adolf or Adolphus

• Helen Adolf, Austrian–American linguist and literature scholar. (1895 – 1998)
• John Adolphus, English historian (1768–1845)
• John Leycester Adolphus, English lawyer, jurist and author (1795–1862)

Fictional characters

• Adolphus, a character in The Adventures of Baron Munchausen
• Adolphus, a character in The Adventures of Huck Finn
• Adolphus Cusins, a character in Major Barbara by George Bernard Shaw
• Dolph Starbeam, a character in the animated sitcom The Simpsons
• Dolph, an antagonist on the animated series Alfred Jodocus Kwak
• Adolf Kamil and Adolf Kaufmann, title characters of the manga Adolf by Osamu Tezuka
• Saint Adolphus, a character in Ken Follett's The Pillars of the Earth
• Adolf Verloc, a character in Joseph Conrad’s The Secret Agent
• Adolf K. Weismann, also known as Yashiro Isana, is the main protagonist in the anime series K
• Adolf Wolf, a character in Blitz Wolf

See also

• Æthelwulf (disambiguation)
• Athaulf
• Adolff
• Adolphine, the female equivalent of the name Adolf
• Dolf (disambiguation)
• Dolph (disambiguation)
• Ludolph
• Rudolph