Rolf

Rolf is a masculine given name of Germanic origin. In Norse and related Germanic traditions it is often a short form of names beginning with Hrólfr or Hroth-, and it is commonly interpreted as combining the elements meaning fame and wolf. In modern use, Rolf appears as an independent given name in Scandinavia and parts of Europe, and has been adopted in English-speaking countries in various spellings.

Variants include Rolfe and Rolf as given names, and the English surname Rolfe is derived from the same source. The name has circulated beyond its Germanic roots through literature, film, and migration, contributing to its recognition in several countries.

Notable people named Rolf include Rolf Nevanlinna (1895–1980), a Finnish mathematician who developed Nevanlinna theory in complex analysis. Rolf Landauer (1927–1999) was a German-American physicist known for Landauer's principle on the thermodynamic cost of information processing. Rolf Lassgård (born 1955) is a Swedish actor recognized for film and television work, including the lead role in A Man Called Ove. Rolf-Dieter Heuer (born 1948) is a German physicist who served as Director-General of CERN from 2009 to 2015. Rolf Harris (1930–2023) was an Australian entertainer and painter who later faced convictions for indecent acts.

In fiction, Rolf is a character in the animated television series Ed, Edd n Eddy, depicted as a burly foreign neighbor with a distinctive accent. The name remains in use in various cultures and languages, and its variants appear in historical and contemporary contexts.

See also: Rolfe; Rudolf; Hrólfr.