Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “Rolf” come from?

Rolf comes from Old Norse Hrólfr, derived from Old Norse Hróðulfr, from Proto-Germanic Hrōþiwulfaz, combining Proto-Germanic wulfaz meaning "wolf" with Proto-Indo-European wĺ̥kʷos.

Ancestry of “Rolf”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old NorseHrólfr—
2Old NorseHróðulfr—
3Proto-GermanicHrōþiwulfaz—
4Proto-Germanicwulfazwolf
5Proto-Indo-Europeanwĺ̥kʷoswolf
Every word from Proto-Indo-European wĺ̥kʷos →