Olaf
Olaf or Olav (/ˈoʊləf/, /ˈoʊlɑːf/, or British /ˈoʊlæf/; Old Norse: Ólafr, Ōleifr, Anleifr) is a Scandinavian given name. It is presumably of Proto-Norse origin, reconstructed as *Anu-laibaz, from anu "ancestor, grand-father" and laibaz "heirloom, descendant". Old English forms are attested as Ǣlāf, Anlāf. The corresponding Old Novgorod dialect form is Uleb.
In Norwegian, Olav is the most common form of the name. The Swedish form is Olov or Olof. The name was borrowed into Old Irish and Scots spelled Amlaíb and Amhlaoibh, giving rise to modern Aulay (see also Mac Amhlaoibh and Mac Amhalghaidh (Irish septs)).
Medieval bearers
Norse:
- Olaf Haraldsson Geirstadalf, petty king
- Olaf I of Norway, 969 – September 9, 1000
- Olaf II of Norway, or Saint Olaf, ruled 1015–1030
- Olaf III of Norway, king 1067–1093
- Olaf Magnusson, 1103–1110
- Olaf IV of Norway, king 1370 – August 23, 1387
- Olav V of Norway, king 1957–1991
- Olaf I of Denmark, king 1086–1095
- Olaf II of Denmark was also Olaf IV of Norway
- Olaf of Sweden (disambiguation) (I, II, and III)
- Oluf Haraldsen (died c. 1143) was a Danish nobleman who ruled Scania for a few years from 1139
Norse-Gaelic: Not all the following were strictly Norse-Gaels, but simply share one of the most common Norse-Gaelic names.
- Olaf the White, 9th century sea-king
- Amlaíb Conung (King Olaf), King of Dublin, possibly identical with Olaf the White
- Olaf Sihtricson (Amlaíb Cuarán), Norse-Gael king of Northumbria and king of Dublin
- Olaf III Guthfrithson (Amlaíb mac Gofraid), king of Dublin
- Amlaíb of Scotland, king of Scotland
- Amlaíb Cenncairech (Olaf Sinful-Head), ruler of Limerick
- Auliffe Mór O'Donoghue (Olaf the Great), regional Irish king
- Amlaíb Ua Donnubáin (Auliffe O'Donovan), regional Irish king
Of Mann and the Isles:
- Olaf I of Mann, also called Olaf Godredsson (c. 1080–1153)
- Olaf II the Black, also called Olaf Godredsson (1173/4–1237), King of Mann and the Isles 1229–1237.
- Novgorod Republic
- Uleb Ragnvaldsson - son of Ragnvald Ulfsson jarl of Staraja Ladoga (Aldeigjuborg), military lieder of Novgorod Republic in conquering of Yugra in 1032.
Septs and clans
- McAuliffe (surname)
- Mac Amhlaoibh and Mac Amhalghaidh (Irish septs)
- Clan Macaulay of Lewis
- Clan MacAulay
Modern people
- Oluf van Steenwinckel (died 1659) was a Danish building master and engineer
- Count Oluf of Rosenborg (1923–1990).
- Erwin Olaf (Erwin Olaf Springveld), Dutch photographer
Fictional characters
- Count Olaf, a fictional character and the main antagonist in the series of novels A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket
- Olaf (Jungle Jam), a fictional character in Jungle Jam and Friends: The Radio Show!
- Olaf, the Berserker, a character in the action real-time strategy PC game League of Legends
- Olaf "the Stout", a fictional character in the video game series The Lost Vikings by Blizzard Entertainment.
- Olaf the Troll A fictional character in "Buffy the Vampire slayer teleseries he appears in the episode ""triangle", played by Abraham Benrubi
- Olaf, one of Snoopy's siblings in Peanuts
- Olaf Potato, a fictional anthropomorphic potato in the British animated short series Small Potatoes
- Olaf, an anthropomorphic snowman in Disney's 2013 animated film Frozen.
- Olaf the Smug Anteater from Animal Crossing: New Leaf
Places
- St. Olaf's church, Tallinn, 12th-century church in Tallinn, Estonia
- St. Olaf College, a liberal arts college in Northfield, MN
- St. Olaf's Castle, 15th-century castle in Savonlinna, Finland
- St. Olaf, Minnesota, the fictitious hometown of Rose Nylund on the TV sitcom The Golden Girls
See also
- Olavo, the Portuguese form of the name
- Ólafur, the Icelandic form of the name
- Olov or Olof, the Swedish form of the name
- Ole, the Danish form of the name
- Aulay, the anglicized Irish form of the name
- Royal Norwegian Order of St. Olav
- European Anti-fraud Office (OLAF), in French the Office de Lutte Anti-Fraude