Wulf

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For other uses, see Wulf (disambiguation).

Wulf (var. Wulff) is a German family name.

[edit] History of name

There are several possible explanations as to the origin of the surname.

The first explanation for German origin of this name: It may be patronymic in origin being derived from the first name of a father. In this case, Wulf is associated with the very popular German first name Wolfgang and simply means "son of Wolfgang". In fact, here Wulf has derived from the "kurzform" of the first name. In this case, the kurzform of Wolfgang is "Wolf" so the surname in fact means "son of Wolf".

The second theory - applying both to German and English origins - is that Wulf is of the nickname origin this time being derived from the physical or personal characteristics of the original bearer. Today, the exact meaning of the nickname "Wolf" is unclear but in Medieval times it was common practice to assign the names of birds, animals or fish to people in order to identify them. No doubt the initial bearer of the name was noted for his qualities of strength and power. Variants of this surname are Wolf, Wolff, Wülf(f), and Wulff with the latter and Wulf representing the oldest forms of the name. Although spellings with the 'u' are more common in modern German, etymology implies that the 'o' spelling has German roots, whereas the 'u' spelling has English roots.

Early instances of this surname in Germany include one Tyle Wulf who lived in Treuenbrietzen in the year 1375 (Archiv for Sippenforschung und alle verwandten Gebiete) and one Nivelung Wolf who was a citizen of Cologne in 1135 (Kolner Schreinsurkunden). A notable bearer of this type of surname is Max franz Joseph Cornelius Wolf (1863-1932), a German astronomer who introduced astronomical photography and discovered Wolf's Comet.

The poem "Wulf and Eadwacer", and domesday book references attest to the early origins of this name in England, particularly in the Danelaw.

Modern explanation of the name is that it really means Samo Pörš but this theory is debatable.

[edit] People with the family name Wulf

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