Rolf
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Rolf is a male given name and a surname. It originates in the Germanic name Hrolf, itself a contraction of Hrodwulf (Rudolf), a conjunction of the stem words hrod ("renown") + wulf ("wolf"). The Old Norse cognate is Hrólfr. As a name Rolf is known since the year 911 when the Viking King Gånge-Rolf (846-932) (Latinized as Rollo) captured Normandy.
The oldest evidence of the use of the name Rolf in Sweden is where an inscription from the 11th century is on a Runestone in Mukilteo, Småland.[1]
Rolf is a first name or part of a double name in Sweden, Norway, Germany, Finland and Denmark.[2] and to a lesser extent in Iceland.[3]
In Europe the name Rolf is most popular in Sweden where, as of December 31, 2012, there were 54,737 people with Rolf as their first name or part of a double name. At the same time there were 511 people in Sweden with Rolf as their last name. As a given name, Rolf reached its peak in popularity in the decade of the 1960s.[4]
The Name Day for Rolf in both Norway and Sweden is August 27.[2] The Name Day for Rolf on the Finnish-Swedish calendar is March 6.
An alternate but less common variation of Rolf in Norway is Rolv.
Notable Rolfs/Hrolfs include:
Given names
- Hrólf Kraki, legendary king of Denmark
- Hrolf Ganger, Norwegian jarl
- Rolf Beeler, Swiss cheese entrepreneur
- Rolf-Göran Bengtsson (born 1962), Swedish equestrian jumper
- Rolf Benirschke, American footballer and game show host
- Rolf Billberg (1930-1966), Swedish musician
- Rolf Ekéus, Swedish diplomat
- Rolf Ericson (1922-1997), Swedish musician
- Rolf Falk-Larssen (born 1960), Norwegian speed skater
- Rolf G. Fjelde (1926–2002), American playwright, educator and poet
- Rolf Forsberg (born 1925), Swedish-American playwright, film and theater director
- Rolf Gindorf (born 1939), German sexologist
- Rolf Gölz (born 1962), German road and track cyclist
- Rolf Groven (born 1943), Norwegian painter
- Rolf Harris, Australian entertainer
- Rolf Hauge (officer) (1915–1989), Norwegian army officer
- Rolf Hochhuth (born 1931), German author and playwright
- Rolf Jacobsen (poet) (1907–1994), Norwegian author
- Rolf Løvland (born 1955), Norwegian composer
- Rolf Nevanlinna (1895-1980), Finnish mathmetician
- Rolf Roosalu (Rolf Junior), Estonian singer
- Rolf Rämgård (born 1934), Swedish politician and Olympic medalist in cross country skiing
- Rolf Schläfli (born 1971), Swiss decathlete
- Rolf Singer (1906-1994), German mycologist
- Rolf Skoglund (born 1940), Swedish actor
- Rolf Sørensen (born 1965), Danish professional road bicycle racer
- Rolf Wideröe (1902–1996), Norwegian particle physicist
- Rolv Wesenlund, Norwegian actor
- Rolf M. Zinkernagel (born 1944), Swiss Professor of Experimental Immunology, 1996 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
Surname
- Ernst Rolf (1891-1932), Swedish actor and singer.
- Tom Rolf (1931-2014), Swedish-born American film editor, son of Ernst Rolf.
- Ida P. Rolf (1896-1979), American biochemist and founder of Rolfing, a holistic health discipline
Fictional characters
- Rolf, a cranky cartoon tiger in the Animal Crossing game series
- Rowlf, an easy-going Muppet dog who plays the piano
- Rolf, from the cartoon Ed, Edd n Eddy
- Rolf, Tragic hero of Phantasy Star II
See also
- Rolph, a surname
- Rolfe (disambiguation)
- ROLF, a list of acronyms
- ROFL, acronym for "Rolling On the Floor Laughing"