Olaf or Olav (, , or

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

; ) is a Dutch, Polish, Scandinavian and German given name. It is presumably of

Proto-Norse Proto-Norse (also called Ancient Nordic; Danish and ; ; ; ) was an Indo-European language spoken in Scandinavia that is thought to have evolved as a northern dialect of Proto-Germanic in the first centuries CE. It is the earliest stage of a c ...

origin, reconstructed as ''*Anu-laibaz'', from ''anu'' "ancestor, grand-father" and ''laibaz'' "heirloom, descendant".

Old English Old English ( or , or ), or Anglo-Saxon, is the earliest recorded form of the English language, spoken in England and southern and eastern Scotland in the Early Middle Ages. It developed from the languages brought to Great Britain by Anglo-S ...

forms are attested as ''Ǣlāf'', ''Anlāf''. The corresponding

Old Novgorod dialect The Old Novgorod or Old Novgorodian dialect (, ) was the East Slavic variety used in the city of Veliky Novgorod and its surrounding area. It is mainly known from medieval birch bark writings dating to the 11th to 15th centuries. Andrey Zalizn ...

form is ''Uleb''. A later English form of the name is ''Olave''. In the

Norwegian language Norwegian ( ) is a North Germanic language from the Indo-European language family spoken mainly in Norway, where it is an official language. Along with Swedish and Danish, Norwegian forms a dialect continuum of more or less mutually intelli ...

, ''Olav'' and ''Olaf'' are equally common, but Olav is traditionally used when referring to Norwegian royalty. The

Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...

form is '' Olov'' or ''Olof'', and the Danish form is ''Oluf''. It was borrowed into

Old Irish Old Irish, also called Old Gaelic (, Ogham, Ogham script: ᚌᚑᚔᚇᚓᚂᚉ; ; ; or ), is the oldest form of the Goidelic languages, Goidelic/Gaelic language for which there are extensive written texts. It was used from 600 to 900. The ...

and

Scottish Gaelic Scottish Gaelic (, ; Endonym and exonym, endonym: ), also known as Scots Gaelic or simply Gaelic, is a Celtic language native to the Gaels of Scotland. As a member of the Goidelic language, Goidelic branch of Celtic, Scottish Gaelic, alongs ...

with the spellings ''Amlaíb'' and ''Amhlaoibh'', giving rise to modern version ''

Aulay Aulay is a Scottish masculine given name. It is an Anglicisation of the Scottish Gaelic , , , and . The standard Irish Gaelic form of these names is ''Amhlaoibh'' (, ); which can be Anglicised as ''Auliffe'' and ''Humphrey''. The Old Irish person ...

''. The name is Latinized as ''Olaus''.

Notable people

North Germanic

Denmark

Olaf I of Denmark Olaf I (; – 18 August 1095), nicknamed Olaf Hunger, was king of Denmark from 1086 to 1095, following the death of his brother Canute IV the Holy. He was a son of king Sweyn II Estridsson, and the third of Sweyn's sons to rule. He married In ...

, king 1086–1095 *

Olaf II of Denmark Olaf II of Denmark (December 1370 – 3 August 1387) was King of Denmark as Olaf II (though occasionally referred to as Olaf III) from 1376 and King of Norway as Olav IV from 1380 until his death. Olaf was the son of Queen Margaret I of Denmark ...

, also Olaf IV of Norway *

Oluf Haraldsen Olaf Haraldsen (died ) was a Danish anti-king who ruled Scania for a few years from 1139. He never won control over the rest of Denmark, and he is not included in the list of Danish monarchs used by the Danish monarchy or ''Den Store Danske Encyk ...

(died c. 1143), Danish nobleman who ruled Scania for a few years from 1139

Norway

Olaf Haraldsson Geirstadalf Olaf Haraldssøn Geirstadalf Digerbein (Agder, c. 877 - Tønsberg, c. 934), was a reputed son of King Harald Fairhair of Norway with Svanhild Øysteinsdatter, daughter of Øystein Jarl. Biography The saga ''Heimskringla'', written in Iceland in th ...

(c.877–c.934), Norwegian petty king *

Olaf I of Norway Olaf Tryggvason (960s – 9 September 1000) was King of Norway from 995 to 1000. He was the son of Tryggvi Olafsson, king of Viken ( Vingulmark, and Rånrike), and, according to later sagas, the great-grandson of Harald Fairhair, first King o ...

Tryggvason, 969–1000 *

Olaf II of Norway Saint Olaf ( – 29 July 1030), also called Olaf the Holy, Olaf II, Olaf Haraldsson, and Olaf the Stout or "Large", was List of Norwegian monarchs, King of Norway from 1015 to 1028. Son of Harald Grenske, a petty king in Vestfold, Norway, he w ...

, or Saint Olaf, ruled 1015–1030 *

Olaf III of Norway Olaf III or Olaf Haraldsson (Old Norse: ''Óláfr Haraldsson'', Norwegian: ''Olav Haraldsson''; – 22 September 1093), known as Olaf the Peaceful (Old Norse: ''Óláfr kyrri'', Norwegian: ''Olav Kyrre''), was King of Norway from 1067 until hi ...

, king 1067–1093 *

Olaf Magnusson Olav Magnusson (1099 – 22 December 1115) was king of Norway The Norwegian monarch is the head of state of Norway, which is a constitutional and hereditary monarchy with a parliamentary system. The Norwegian monarchy can trace its line b ...

(formerly IV) of Norway, 1103–1110 *

Olaf IV of Norway Olaf II of Denmark (December 1370 – 3 August 1387) was King of Denmark as Olaf II (though occasionally referred to as Olaf III) from 1376 and King of Norway as Olav IV from 1380 until his death. Olaf was the son of Queen Margaret I of Denmark ...

, king 1370 – 23 August 1387; was also Olaf II of Denmark

Sweden

Olaf of Sweden (disambiguation) Olaf of Sweden also "Onela" - Swedish: ''Olov'' or ''Olof'' - may refer to: *Onela, mythological Swedish ruler *Olof (I) of Sweden Olof (Old Norse: ''Óláfr'') was a Swedish monarch or local ruler who ruled over Birka, an important port town, an ...

(I, II and III)

Norse-Gaelic

Not all the following were strictly Norse-Gaels, but they share the most common Norse-Gaelic names. *

Olaf the Black Óláfr Guðrøðarson (died 1237) (Scottish Gaelic: ''Amhlaibh Dubh''), also known as Olaf the Black, was a thirteenth-century King of the Isles, and a member of the Crovan dynasty. He was a son of Guðrøðr Óláfsson, King of the Isles and F ...

, 13th-century Norse king *

Amlaíb Conung Amlaíb Conung ( ; died c. 874) was a Viking leader in Ireland and Scotland in the mid-late ninth century. He was the son of the king of Lochlann, identified in the non-contemporary '' Fragmentary Annals of Ireland'' as Gofraid, and brother of ...

(King Olaf), King of Dublin, possibly identical with

Olaf the White Olaf the White () was a viking sea-king who lived in the latter half of the 9th century. Life Olaf was born around 820, in Ireland. His father was the Hiberno-Norse warlord Ingjald Helgasson. Some traditional sources portray Olaf as a descendan ...

Olaf III Guthfrithson Olaf Guthfrithson or Anlaf Guthfrithson ( ; ; ; died 941) was a Hiberno-Scandinavian (Irish-Viking) leader who ruled Dublin and Viking Northumbria in the 10th century. He was the son of Gofraid ua Ímair and great-grandson of Ímar, making ...

(Emlaíb mac Gofraid), King of Dublin *

Amlaíb Ua Donnubáin Amlaíb Ua Donnubáin (or Olaf/Auliffe O'Donovan) (died 1201) is the last member of the O'Donovan family to be styled king of Uí Chairpre Áebda (Cairbre Eva) in the Irish annals, and in fact the very last known king of this people. He is th ...

(Auliffe O'Donovan), regional Irish king

Mann and the Isles

Olaf I of Mann Olaf or Olav (, , or British ; ) is a Dutch, Polish, Scandinavian and German given name. It is presumably of Proto-Norse origin, reconstructed as ''*Anu-laibaz'', from ''anu'' "ancestor, grand-father" and ''laibaz'' "heirloom, descendant". Old E ...

, also called Olaf Godredsson (c. 1080–1153) *

Olaf II the Black Óláfr Guðrøðarson (died 1237) (Scottish Gaelic: ''Amhlaibh Dubh''), also known as Olaf the Black, was a thirteenth-century King of the Isles, and a member of the Crovan dynasty. He was a son of Guðrøðr Óláfsson, King of the Isles and F ...

, also called Olaf Godredsson (1173/4–1237), King of Mann and the Isles 1229–1237

Novgorod Republic (in Ukraine or Kievan Rus')

Uleb Ragnvaldsson Uleb (Ulf) Ragnvaldsson () was a '' posadnik'' and military leader of Novgorod Veliky Novgorod ( ; , ; ), also known simply as Novgorod (), is the largest city and administrative centre of Novgorod Oblast, Russia. It is one of the oldest citi ...

, son of

Ragnvald Ulfsson Ragnvald Ulfsson the Old () was a jarl of Västergötland or Östergötland and was married to a sister of King Olav Tryggvason.Winroth 1995–1997:616 Biography According to Snorri, Ragnvald was the son of jarl Ulf Tostesson. He was al ...

jarl of Staraja Ladoga (Aldeigjuborg), military leader of Novgorod Republic in conquering of Yugra in 1032

Scotland

Amlaíb, King of Scotland Amlaíb mac Illuilb (; died 977) was a tenth century King of Alba. He was one of three sons of Illulb mac Custantín, King of Alba, and a member of Clann Áeda meic Cináeda, a branch of the Alpínid dynasty. Amlaíb's paternal grandfather p ...

(971–977)

Modern people

Given name

Olav V of Norway Olav V (, ; born Prince Alexander of Denmark; 2 July 1903 – 17 January 1991) was King of Norway from 1957 until his death in 1991. Olav was born at Sandringham House in England, the only child of Prince Carl of Denmark and Princess Maud of ...

, king 1957–1991 * Olaf Amundsen (1876–1939), Norwegian lawyer and politician *

Olaf Fink Olaf James Fink (March 15, 1914 – March 26, 1973) was a Louisiana educator and politician who served as a Democratic Party (United States), Democrat in the Louisiana State Senate from 1956 to 1972. Born in Algiers, New Orleans, Fink receive ...

(1914–1973), American educator and state senator *

Olaf Lubaszenko Olaf Sergiusz Linde-Lubaszenko (born 6 December 1968) is a Polish people, Polish actor and film director. He was born in Wrocław, the son of actors Edward Linde-Lubaszenko and Asja Łamtiugina. Olaf Lubaszenko starred in films by Krzysztof Ki ...

, Polish actor *

Olaf Pooley Oloe Krohn "Olaf" Pooley (13 March 1914 – 14 July 2015) was an English actor, screenwriter and painter. As an actor, he appeared as Professor Stahlman in the seven-part ''Doctor Who'' serial '' Inferno'' (1970). Early life Pooley was born to ...

(1914–2015), English actor *

Count Oluf of Rosenborg Count Oluf of Rosenborg (Oluf Christian Carl Axel; 10 March 1923 – 19 December 1990), a former Danish prince, was the youngest child and son of Prince Harald of Denmark by his wife, Princess Helena Adelaide of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Gl� ...

(1923–1990) *

Olaf Scholz Olaf Scholz (; born 14 June 1958) is a German politician who served as the Chancellor of Germany from 2021 to 2025. A member of the Social Democratic Party of Germany, Social Democratic Party (SPD), he previously served as Vice-Chancellor of Ge ...

(born 1958), German politician and Chancellor of Germany (2021–2025) * Olaf C. Seltzer (1877–1957), Danish-born American painter *

Olaf Stapledon William Olaf Stapledon (10 May 1886 – 6 September 1950) was an English philosopher and author of science fiction.Andy Sawyer, " illiamOlaf Stapledon (1886-1950)", in Bould, Mark, et al, eds. ''Fifty Key Figures in Science Fiction''. New York ...

(1886–1950), British author and historian * Oluf van Steenwinckel (died 1659), Danish building master and engineer

Middle name

Erwin Olaf Erwin Olaf Springveld (2 July 1959 – 20 September 2023), professionally known as Erwin Olaf, was a Dutch photographer from Hilversum. ''Time (magazine), Time'' magazine described his work as straddling "the worlds of commercial, art and fashio ...

(Erwin Olaf Springveld), Dutch photographer

Fictional characters

Count Olaf The children's novel series '' A Series of Unfortunate Events'' and its film and television adaptations features a large cast of characters created by Daniel Handler under the pen name of Lemony Snicket. The original series follows the turbul ...

, the main antagonist in the series of novels ''A Series of Unfortunate Events'' by Lemony Snicket *

Olaf Olaf or Olav (, , or differences between General American and Received Pronunciation, British ; ) is a Dutch, Polish, Scandinavian and German given name. It is presumably of Proto-Norse origin, reconstructed as ''*Anu-laibaz'', from ''anu'' "ances ...

, in ''Jungle Jam and Friends: The Radio Show!'' * Olaf (''Frozen''), an anthropomorphic snowman in the 2013 film ''Frozen'' *Olaf, the Berserker, in the multiplayer online battle arena video game ''

League of Legends ''League of Legends'' (''LoL'', commonly referred to as ''League'', is a multiplayer online battle arena video game developed and published by Riot Games. Inspired by ''Defense of the Ancients'', a Mod (video games), custom map for ''Warcraf ...

'' *Olaf "the Stout", in the video game series ''

The Lost Vikings ''The Lost Vikings'' is a 1993 puzzle-platform game developed by Silicon & Synapse (now Blizzard Entertainment) and published by Interplay. It was initially released for the Super NES, then subsequently released for the Amiga, Amiga CD32, MS-DO ...

'' * Olaf the Troll, in the TV series ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' *Olaf, one of Snoopy's siblings in ''Peanuts'' *Olaf Potato, an anthropomorphic potato in the British animated short series '' Small Potatoes'' *Olaf the Smug Anteater, from '' Animal Crossing: New Leaf'' *Olaf the Lofty, an inventor from

Noggin the Nog ''Noggin the Nog'' is a fictional character appearing in a BBC Television animated series (of the same name, originally broadcast 1959–1965 and 1982) and a series of illustrated books (published 1965–1977), created by Oliver Postgate and P ...

*Agent Olaf, from ''Odd Squad'' *Olaf (Agent Otto Jefferies), from the ''

Anita Blake Anita Blake is the title and viewpoint character of the '' Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter'' series by Laurell K. Hamilton. The series takes place in a parallel world in which supernatural characters like vampires and werewolves exist alongside reg ...

'' series *Olaf One-Eye, ancient High King of Skyrim from the video game series

The Elder Scrolls ''The Elder Scrolls'' is a series of action role-playing games, action role-playing video games primarily developed by Bethesda Game Studios and published by Bethesda Softworks. The series focuses on Nonlinear gameplay, free-form gameplay in an ...

*Olaf, a CO in

Advance Wars ''Advance Wars'' is a turn-based strategy video game developed by Intelligent Systems and published by Nintendo for the Game Boy Advance. It is the seventh title in the Wars (series), ''Wars'' series of video games, and the first in the ''Advanc ...

Named animals

Nils Olav Major General Sir Nils Olav III, Baron of the Bouvet Islands () is a king penguin who resides in Edinburgh Zoo, Scotland. He is the mascot and colonel-in-chief of the Norwegian King's Guard. The name 'Nils Olav' and associated ranks have be ...

, a succession of penguins at Edinburgh Zoo, officers in the Norwegian King's Guard

Septs and clans

McAuliffe (surname) McAuliffe or MacAuliffe is a surname of Norse Irish origin.Mac Amhlaoibh and Mac Amhalghaidh (Irish septs) *

Clan Macaulay of Lewis The Macaulay family of Uig in Lewis, known in Scottish Gaelic as ''Clann mhic Amhlaigh'', were a small Scottish clan, family located around Uig, Lewis, Uig on the Isle of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland. There is no connection between th ...

Clan MacAulay Clan MacAulay (, ), also spelt Macaulay or Macauley is a Scottish clan. The clan was historically centred on the lands of Ardincaple, which are today consumed by the little village of Rhu and burgh of Helensburgh in Argyll and Bute. The MacAul ...