Adolf

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Adolf
Given Name
Gender Male
Meaning Noble wolf
Origin German
Popularity Popular names page
Wikipedia articles All pages beginning with Adolf
Look up Adolf in
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For other uses, see Adolf (disambiguation).

Adolf, also spelled Adolph and sometimes Latinised to Adolphus, was a popular given name, especially in the German-speaking countries, in Scandinavia, in the Netherlands and to a lesser degree in various East European countries before the regime of Chancellor Adolf Hitler- including among Jews living in these countries and sharing their languages and culture, and who previous to 1933 had no reason to avoid the name. It is now a widely avoided name due to its negative association with Hitler.

Similarly, the French version, "Adolphe" - previously a fairly common name in France and also the name of a classical work of French literature - has virtually disappeared.

However, "Adolfo" as the Italian version of the name has disappeared in Italy, differently than the Spanish version Adolfo, which has not become stygmatised in the same way. It is still in common use in Spanish-speaking countries, without the parents bestowing it on their son being suspected of Nazi sympathies. The difference is likely due to neither Spain nor the Latin American countries having been subjected to Nazi German occupation.

Etymologically, the name is derived from the Old High German Athalwolf, a composition of athal, or adal, meaning noble, and wolf; in sequence, making Adolf another compound. Compare Rudolf.

[edit] Monarchs and noblemen

[edit] People with the given name Adolf or Adolph(e)

[edit] See also

WP Anthroponymy notice This page or section lists people with the given name Adolf. If an internal link for a specific person referred you to this page, you may wish to add the surname to that link.