Adolphe

Adolphe is a masculine given name of Germanic origin, derived from the elements adal- meaning noble and wulf meaning wolf. The name has spread into French and other languages, with variants such as Adolf or Adolph in different cultures. It was most commonly used in the 18th and 19th centuries and continues to appear occasionally today.

Notable people with the given name include Adolphe Sax (1814–1894), a Belgian-born instrument maker who developed the saxophone and related brass and woodwind instruments, influencing modern orchestral and band music; and Adolphe Thiers (1797–1877), a French statesman and historian who served as a key figure in 19th-century French politics and as the first President of the French Third Republic.

In literature, Adolphe is the title of a short novel by Benjamin Constant, first published in 1809. The work is a compact psychological study of a young man’s romantic entanglement and ethical struggles, and is widely studied as an early example of psychological realism in French literature. It has been adapted for the screen.

There is a 2002 film adaptation of Constant’s novel titled Adolphe, directed by Benoît Jacquot. The film preserves the novel’s focus on emotional nuance and moral complexity.