Etymology Explorer › German

Where does “Rudolf” come from?

Rudolf (German) comes from Middle High German Ruodolf, from Old High German Ruodolf, from Old High German wolf, from Proto-West Germanic wulf, from Proto-Germanic wulfaz, from Proto-Indo-European wĺ̥kʷos — wolf.

Ancestry of “Rudolf”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle High GermanRuodolf—
2Old High GermanRuodolf—
3Old High Germanwolfwolf
4Proto-West Germanicwulfwolf
5Proto-Germanicwulfazwolf
6Proto-Indo-Europeanwĺ̥kʷoswolf

Words derived from “Rudolf”

  • Rudolph
  • Rudolphine
  • Rudy
  • Rolf
Every word from Proto-Indo-European wĺ̥kʷos →