''Wulf'' (

Common Germanic Proto-Germanic (abbreviated PGmc; also called Common Germanic) is the reconstructed proto-language of the Germanic branch of the Indo-European languages. Proto-Germanic eventually developed from pre-Proto-Germanic into three Germanic br ...

wolf The wolf (''Canis lupus''; : wolves), also known as the gray wolf or grey wolf, is a large canine native to Eurasia and North America. More than thirty subspecies of ''Canis lupus'' have been recognized, and gray wolves, as popularly un ...

") was one of the most prolific elements in early

Germanic name Germanic languages, Germanic given names are traditionally wikt:dithematic, dithematic; that is, they are formed from two elements, by joining a prefix and a suffix. For example, Ethelred II of England, King Æþelred's name was derived from ', f ...

s. It could figure as the first element in dithematic names, as in '' Wulfstan'', but especially as second element, in the form ''-ulf, -olf'' as in ''

Cynewulf Cynewulf (, ; also spelled Cynwulf or Kynewulf) is one of twelve Old English poets known by name, and one of four whose work is known to survive today. He presumably flourished in the 9th century, with possible dates extending into the late 8th ...

'', '' Rudolph'', ''

Ludolf Ludolf is a Germanic surname or given name. It is derived from two stems: Hlud meaning "fame" and olf meaning "wolf". An alternate spelling of the name is Ludolph. People with the name include: * George Philipp Ludolf von Beckedorff (1778-1858), p ...

'', ''

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, Latin America and to a lesser extent in vari ...

'' etc., it was extremely common. Förstemann explains this as originally motivated by the wolf as an animal sacred to

Wodanaz Odin (; from non, Óðinn, ) is a widely revered god in Germanic paganism. Norse mythology, the source of most surviving information about him, associates him with wisdom, healing, death, royalty, the gallows, knowledge, war, battle, victor ...

, but notes that the large number of names indicates that the element had become a meaningless suffix of male names at an early time (and was therefore not anymore considered a " pagan" element at the time of

Christianisation Christianization ( or Christianisation) is to make Christian; to imbue with Christian principles; to become Christian. It can apply to the conversion of an individual, a practice, a place or a whole society. It began in the Roman Empire, conti ...

. Some early missionaries among Germanic folk still used it, like bishop

Wulfilas Ulfilas (–383), also spelled Ulphilas and Orphila, all Latinized forms of the unattested Gothic form *𐍅𐌿𐌻𐍆𐌹𐌻𐌰 Wulfila, literally "Little Wolf", was a Goth of Cappadocian Greek descent who served as a bishop and missiona ...

however his family had been adopted earlier by the

Goths The Goths ( got, 𐌲𐌿𐍄𐌸𐌹𐌿𐌳𐌰, translit=''Gutþiuda''; la, Gothi, grc-gre, Γότθοι, Gótthoi) were a Germanic people who played a major role in the fall of the Western Roman Empire and the emergence of medieval Europe ...

. By the tenth century, there was clearly no "pagan" connotation left with such names, and saints and bishops bore names such as Wulfstan or Wolfgang). Förstemann counts 381 names in ''-ulf, -olf'', among which only four are feminine.

Hypocorisms

The numerous names in ''-wulf, -ulf, -olf'' gave rise to

hypocorisms A hypocorism ( or ; from Ancient Greek: (), from (), 'to call by pet names', sometimes also ''hypocoristic'') or pet name is a name used to show affection for a person. It may be a diminutive form of a person's name, such as ''Izzy'' for I ...

from an early time, which were later also treated as given names in their own right. Among such names are the Anglo-Saxon ''Offa'', ''Yffe'', ''Uffa'', ''Wuffa''. Corresponding continental forms are ''Uffo, Uffi''. The name of the ancient tribe of the

Ubii 350px, The Ubii around AD 30 The Ubii were a Germanic tribe first encountered dwelling on the east bank of the Rhine in the time of Julius Caesar, who formed an alliance with them in 55 BC in order to launch attacks across the river. They were ...

may also be related.

Offa of Angel Offa (nickname for Wulf) is a semi-legendary king of the Angles in the genealogy of the kings of Mercia presented in the ''Anglo-Saxon Chronicle''. He is the son of Wermund and the father of Angeltheow. His name is also mentioned in the Old ...

is a legendary king of the Angles recorded in the 9th-century genealogical tradition of the '' Anglo-Saxon Chronicle''. Most of this tradition is spurious, but in the case of Offa, a case for possible historicity of a 5th-century figure has been made because of a matching account by

Saxo Grammaticus Saxo Grammaticus (c. 1150 – c. 1220), also known as Saxo cognomine Longus, was a Danish historian, theologian and author. He is thought to have been a clerk or secretary to Absalon, Archbishop of Lund, the main advisor to Valdemar I of Denmark ...

Offa of Essex Offa was King of Essex. D. H. Kirby dates his reign as 705 to 709. Simon Keynes dates it c.694 to 709, when he went on a pilgrimage to Rome, where he died as a monk, along with Cenred, King of Mercia. He may have been co-king with Swæfred. ...

and Offa of Mercia are two historical Anglo-Saxon kings. Offa of Mercia is said to have had been named Winfreth originally, and to have been the son of an ealdorman named Tingfrith. Because he miraculously recovered from a state of lameness and blindness as a child, he was called "the second Offa", after Offa of Angel, whose legend states that he underwent a similar recovery.Johann Martin Lappenberg, trans. Benjamin Thorpe, ''A History of England Under the Anglo-Saxon Kings: From earliest times to 800'', 1845, p. 227. Wuffa is recorded as an early kings of the East Angles, eponymous of the

Wuffingas The Wuffingas, Uffingas or Wiffings were the ruling dynasty of East Anglia, the long-lived Anglo-Saxon kingdom which today includes the English counties of Norfolk and Suffolk. The Wuffingas took their name from Wuffa, an early East Anglian king. ...

dynasty. The Scandinavian form is ''

Ulf Ulf, or Ulv is a masculine name common in Scandinavia and Germany. It derives from the Old Norse word for "wolf" (''úlfr'', see Wulf). The oldest written record of the name's occurrence in Sweden is from a runestone of the 11th century. The fe ...

'', e.g.

Ulf the Earl Ulf Thorgilsson, commonly known as Ulf Jarl, was a Danish jarl of Skåne and regent of Denmark. Ulf was the son of Thorgil Sprakling and the father of King Sweyn II of Denmark and thus the progenitor of the House of Estridsen, which would rule D ...

(d. 1026). The ''ylva'' in the name of

Ingrid Ylva Ingrid Ylva of Bjelbo (born c. 1180s, died c. 1250–1255), was a Swedish noblewoman, the wife of Magnus Minnesköld of Bjälbo and the mother of regent Birger Jarl. The exact years of her birth and death are unclear; a traditional year quoted fo ...

(13th century) is presumably an epithet and not a hypocorism of a dithematic name (i.e. "Ingrid the she-wolf").

Surname

The surname Wulf (and variants) is a typical example of a surname derived from a given name, often a

patronymic A patronymic, or patronym, is a component of a personal name based on the given name of one's father, grandfather (avonymic), or an earlier male ancestor. Patronymics are still in use, including mandatory use, in many countries worldwide, alt ...

in origin. These names by their nature can occur repeatedly and independently just based on the prevalence of the given name from which it is derived.

Anglo-Norman Anglo-Norman may refer to: *Anglo-Normans, the medieval ruling class in England following the Norman conquest of 1066 * Anglo-Norman language **Anglo-Norman literature * Anglo-Norman England, or Norman England, the period in English history from 10 ...

variants include Wolfes, Woolf, Woolfe, Woulf, Wulff, Woof, Wooff, etc. Early instances of this surname in Germany include one Tyle Wulf who lived in

Treuenbrietzen Treuenbrietzen is a town in the States of Germany, Bundesland of Brandenburg, Germany. Geography The municipality Treuenbrietzen is situated 32 km northeast of Wittenberg and includes the localities * city of Treuenbrietzen with its agglome ...

in 1375 () and one Nivelung Wolf who was a citizen of

Cologne Cologne ( ; german: Köln ; ksh, Kölle ) is the largest city of the German western state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) and the fourth-most populous city of Germany with 1.1 million inhabitants in the city proper and 3.6 millio ...

in 1135 (). Other people with the surname include: *

Andrea Wulf Andrea Wulf (born 1972) is a German-British historian and writer who has written books, newspaper articles and book reviews. Biography Wulf was born in New Delhi, India, a child of German developmental aid workers, and spent the first five yea ...

(born 1972), English biographer * Berthold Wulf (1926–2012), German priest, poet and philosopher * Christoph Wulf (born 1944), German anthropologist *

Hermann Wulf Hermann Wulf (25 July 1915 – 19 May 1990) was an officer in the Wehrmacht of Nazi Germany during World War II and a Brigadegeneral in the Bundeswehr. Wulf was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves. Awards and dec ...

(1915-1990), German World War II officer and post-war Generalmajor * Joseph Wulf (1912–1974), German-Polish-Jewish historian and Holocaust survivor *

Marie Wulf Marie Wulf (August 1685 – January 27, 1738), was a Danish preacher; a pietist and later a follower of the Moravian Church. Life Wulf moved to Copenhagen to keep household for her brother Conrad, a clerk at the royal court, from the border to Germ ...

(1685–1738), Danish pietist preacher *

Maurice De Wulf Maurice Marie Charles Joseph De Wulf (April 6, 1867–December 23, 1947), was a Belgian Thomist philosopher, professor of philosophy at the Catholic University of Leuven, was one of the pioneers of the historiography of medieval philosophy. His b ...

(1867–1947), Belgian philosopher and professor * Oliver R. Wolf (1897–1987), American chemist, physicist, and meteorologist * Rudi Wulf (born 1984), New Zealand rugby union player *

Rudolf Wulf __NOTOC__ Rudolf Wulf (12 December 1905 Elmshorn / Schleswig-Holstein – 14 November 1972 Breitbrunn / Bavaria) was a general in the Wehrmacht of Nazi Germany during World War II who commanded the 319th Infantry Division on the island of Guernse ...

(1905-1972), German Generalmajor during World War II * Steve Wulf (born 1950), American sports writer and editor *

Theodor Wulf Theodor Wulf (28 July 1868 – 19 June 1946) was a German physicist and Jesuit priest who was one of the first experimenters to detect excess atmospheric radiation. Theodor Wulf became a Jesuit priest at the age of 20, before studying physic ...

(1868–1946), German physicist and Jesuit priest *

William Wulf William Allan Wulf (born December 8, 1939) is a computer scientist notable for his work in programming languages and compilers. Until June 2012, he was a university professor and the AT&T Professor of Engineering and Applied Sciences in the Depart ...

(born 1939), American computer scientist * Vincent Wulf (born 1973), French rugby league footballer

References

* Franz Stark, ''Die Kosenamen der Germanen: eine Studie'', 1868
p. 23

Hypocorisms

Surname

References

See also